Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, leader of the opposition in India’s Lok Sabha, has invited the leaders of the opposition INDIA alliance to tea. He arranged the tea on Tuesday at his residence with opposition members of parliament, representatives of student organisations and members of civil society.
In a post on Instagram, Rahul Gandhi wrote: “Today I have invited the leaders of the INDIA alliance, opposition members of parliament, student organisations and friends from civil society to tea at my home.”
He added: “We are all united in this mass movement to protect democracy, and this movement will continue.” He also said the opposition leaders would speak to the media after the tea.
Rahul Gandhi and the leaders of the opposition parties have been vocal in demanding the resignation of India’s chief election commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar. They allege there are serious questions about various decisions and activities of the Election Commission. The tea is being held amid the opposition’s protests over this.
The opposition leaders raised the demand for the chief election commissioner’s resignation on the basis of a report in The Indian Express. That report said not all the commissioners were informed of several decisions taken by the Election Commission during the special intensive revision (SIR) exercise last year. Two election commissioners had even opposed those decisions, the report said.
Amid the opposition’s objections to the SIR process and the Election Commission’s role, Rahul Gandhi’s initiative is being seen as an effort to strengthen coordination among the opposition parties.
What is decided at the tea meeting, and what the next programme will be in the demand for the chief election commissioner’s resignation, will be known only from what is said after the meeting.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report