NEW DELHI: Speaking at the INDIA bloc rally at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan on Sunday, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge vowed to continue the opposition’s fight until Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar resigned, warning that the bloc would “dig him out from the ground if needed”. Kharge vowed that the opposition would continue its agitation until Kumar resigned, accusing him of acting in favour of the ruling BJP.Addressing thousands of supporters and leaders from opposition parties at the ‘Chalo Delhi’ rally, Kharge accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah of attempting to manipulate votes belonging to women, young people and Dalits. He also alleged that PM Modi was trying to divide the country and use central agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate to intimidate the opposition.“PM Modi will go only when you fight strongly,” Kharge told the gathering, urging people to unite against alleged vote theft. He said the INDIA bloc would continue its fight to remove the BJP from power, protect the Constitution and strengthen democracy.RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav also targeted Kumar, accusing him of acting as a “puppet of Modi” and drawing parallels between the political confrontation and the Mahabharata. He described Ramlila Maidan as a Kurukshetra, saying the Opposition had been compelled to fight against what he alleged was electoral manipulation.“While the Ramlila Maidan is traditionally meant for staging the Ramayana, today we have organised a ‘Mahabharata’ for those who steal votes,” Yadav said, invoking Shakuni and the game of dice to allege that the electoral process was being manipulated.
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The rally was attended by several INDIA bloc leaders, including Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren and Telangana chief minister Revanth Reddy.The Opposition parties are protesting alleged irregularities in electoral rolls and the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. They have demanded a halt to the exercise and Kumar’s resignation, alleging that the process has led to large-scale voter omissions.The rally followed heightened security arrangements and traffic restrictions across parts of central Delhi as thousands of supporters gathered in the capital, carrying banners with the slogan ‘Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao’.