Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Wednesday demanded Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls and alleged that the exercise threatened citizens’ voting rights.
Speaking in New Delhi, Revanth Reddy alleged that the SIR was being carried out under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s instructions through Gyanesh Kumar. He claimed the exercise was creating two categories of people — those with voting rights and those without them.
Revanth Reddy said Rahul Gandhi had demanded Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation. However, he alleged that police detained Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Mallikarjun Kharge instead of acting on the opposition’s concerns.
He accused Modi of undermining democracy and said the Congress-led campaign would continue. “The Constitution gave people the right to vote, no one can snatch it away,” Revanth Reddy said.
Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation becomes central demand
Revanth Reddy said the campaign for Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation would continue from the streets to Parliament. He compared the present agitation with the historic “Simon Go Back” movement. He said the current campaign had adopted the slogans “SIR, go back” and “GK, go back.”
The Chief Minister claimed that Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation could eventually lead to Modi leaving the Prime Minister’s post if the issue remained unresolved. He also recalled the withdrawal of laws by the Modi government following earlier protests. Revanth Reddy said the government had eventually apologised in that instance. Similarly, he asserted that the present agitation would continue until the demand over Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation was addressed.
Revanth Reddy also criticised police action against Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. He attributed the action to what he described as the intolerance of Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. He alleged that the government was using police against opposition leaders to protect itself from political consequences.
Revanth links Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation to voting rights
The Chief Minister alleged that the BJP had earlier used the Enforcement Directorate, Income Tax Department and Central Bureau of Investigation for political purposes. He further alleged that the Election Commission was now being used for similar purposes after those agencies failed to deliver electoral gains for the BJP.
Revanth Reddy accused the authorities of removing voters from electoral rolls for political advantage. He said the opposition was fighting what he described as a conspiracy against voting rights.
The Chief Minister said the INDIA alliance had taken to the streets to protect the Constitution. He described the agitation as a people’s movement rather than a Congress campaign alone. He also said citizens were observing the actions of the government and would hold those responsible politically accountable.
Revanth Reddy urged Modi to accept the opposition’s demand and secure Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation. He said doing so would allow the government to avoid further political confrontation over the issue.
He maintained that Congress workers would follow the party’s directions and continue the campaign alongside other opposition parties. The Chief Minister said the agitation would move from the streets to Parliament and would not end until its demands were addressed.