'Gyanesh Kumar must resign..., freeze & probe SIR': CJP's ultimatum to ECI chief; warns of 'Jantar Mantar 2.O'

New Delhi: Calling Gyanesh Kumar the "biggest anti-national", Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Thursday warned a nationwide agitation that may escalate into a 'Jantar Mantar 2.O' in the capital if the Chief Election Commissioner facing allegations of "undermining" voter rights does not resign within 48 hours.

The youth movement, whose protest claimed the ministership of Dharmendra Pradhan over NEET-CBSE fiasco, also demanded immediate hold on upcoming polls and freezing of SIR, future elections on 2025 voter lists, inquiry commission into SIR and repeal of 2023 law that governs the appointments of CEC and the ECs.

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Addressing a press conference here in the wake of reports about two Election Commissioners raising objections to the functioning of the poll body under Kumar, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said the country is going through a "dangerous phase" with the electoral process being "rigged" and the right to vote being taken away from citizens.

"The CEC is the biggest anti-national. He has to resign. He is the biggest threat to democracy. The government and CEC decide who votes in this country...To ensure free and fair elections, if the CEC doesn't resign, we will start a nationwide agitation," Dipke said announcing their 'Election Commission Thik Karo (Correct the EC)" campaign.

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Calling for criminal proceedings against Kumar, the CJP leader said they would organise a sit-in protest in Delhi after the nationwide campaign, promising a "Jantar Mantar 2.O happening if Gyanesh Kumar does not resign". He asked, "who is Gyanesh to revoke our right to vote?"

Claiming that the BJP increased its vote share in states like Haryana, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Assam, he alleged that the real force behind BJP's electoral victories is Kumar. Prime Minister Narendra Modi may be the face but the "real hero of BJP's performance" is Kumar, he said.

"If Gyanesh Kumar wants to serve PM Modi, become his peon, don't sit in CEC's chair," he said, alleging the CEC was behind the largescale deletions. He also claimed that it cannot be coincidence that Opposition Chief Ministers like Mamata Banerjee and MK Stalin were defeated through deletion of voters in their seats and states.

He also said parties should boycott elections if they believe if polls are rigged and there is no point in making allegations and then participating in the same exercise.

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CJP co-founder Saurav Das said their demands included Kumar's resignation, immediately putting on hold upcoming polls, freezing of SIR, Supreme Court ordering seizure of SIR files, repeal of the 2023 law on appointment of CEC and ECs and restoration of earlier voter rolls. The CJP also wants the Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi to publicly clarify their objections and that the Election Commission publish the relevant documents.

Alleging that steps are being taken to keep the young voters out, Das claimed that the ruling BJP feels the 'Gen Z' is not supporting them. "The system is totally hollow. This government feels Gen Z is not in its favour, so it is not adding them to the voters list," he claimed.

Another CJP Co-Convenor Ashutosh Ranka said, "we need to hit the streets and fight for our right...Youth, civil society, political parties, all have to come together to save this country...We want resignation of Gyanesh Kumar, criminal proceedings against him, and answer who gave Gyanesh the orders."