Durai Vaiko says political parties united on demand for CEC's impeachment

Delhi [India], November 1 : MDMK MP Durai Vaiko on Sunday said opposition parties across the country had united in demanding the impeachment of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), addressing the INDIA bloc's mega rally at Ramlila Maidan.
He alleged that over 13 crore voters had lost their voting rights and termed it a threat to democracy.
"All political parties, except the BJP and its allies, from Kashmir in the north to Tamil Nadu in the south, are united. The entire nation, including civil society members and students, is united in this single demand for the impeachment of the Chief Election Commissioner. Voters and citizens have lost their voting rights—nearly 15 per cent of the total electorate, which amounts to over 13 crore voters. Losing your voting rights is losing everything; it is the murder of democracy. Today's loss of voting rights will lead to tomorrow's loss of the right to education, the right to employment, and the right to practice your religion," he said.
Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury also criticised the BJP, accusing it of tarnishing the image of the Congress and other opposition parties.
"They (BJP) are habituated to stigmatising and tarnishing the image of the Congress party and other anti-BJP parties. It is the BJP's parochial attitude which is always displayed by them," he said.
On the other hand, Uttar Pradesh Minister and BJP leader Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary criticised the INDIA bloc rally, accusing the Congress leadership of attempting to create unrest and divert public attention from the achievements of the Narendra Modi government.
"This is a failure of the Congress leadership. They are trying to spread anarchy across the country... The work done under the leadership of PM Modi over the past 10 years is visible to the public... These people are pursuing this agenda to divert attention from these achievements," he said.
Meanwhile, top opposition leaders and thousands of supporters from across the country have converged in the national capital for the INDIA bloc’s "Chalo Delhi" protest march at Ramlila Maidan on Sunday.
Prominent leaders—including Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Member of Parliament Priyanka Gandhi, Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, AICC General Secretary KC Venugopal, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Trinamool Congress General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav and senior alliance figures—left the Constitution Club to join the procession.
The march commenced from the Minto Road–Connaught Place junction, heading toward Ramlila Maidan amidst tight security. Nearly 10,000 police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed across Central Delhi, supplemented by multi-layer barricading and extensive drone surveillance, to maintain law and order as thousands of workers, student groups, and civil society representatives continue to pour into the venue.
Simultaneously, the ruling BJP is mounting a counter-offensive with a march in West Delhi to remember the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, accusing the Congress of holding a political rally on the anniversary of the violence.
The BJP march will begin from Hari Nagar Bus Depot to Tilak Nagar Metro Station in West Delhi, led by Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, Delhi BJP president, MoS Harsh Malhotra, Sardar H S Phoolka, Manjinder Singh Sirsa and MP Bansuri Swaraj, along with members of the Sikh community.