Congress observes ‘Black Day’ in Shimla

The Congress on Thursday observed a ‘Black Day’ across the country against the Election Commission’s functioning, with party workers staging a protest outside the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Shimla and demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation.

The protesters raised slogans against the Election Commission and alleged it was undermining the rights of elected representatives.

Shimla Urban Congress Committee president Inderjit Singh said Congress and other opposition leaders and MPs had staged a protest at Jantar Mantar on October 6, attended by Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and other senior leaders.

Singh alleged that elected MPs were not allowed to put forward their views during the protest and were subjected to misbehavior. He said the way the MPs were removed from the protest site went against democratic values and people’s sentiments.

“Every person in a democracy has the right to express their views and register their protest,” Singh said.

He said the Congress was observing the ‘Black Day’ nationwide to protest against the incident and demanded that Gyanesh Kumar resign as the Chief Election Commissioner.

The Congress also sought action against those who, it alleged, had hurt the sentiments of the party’s senior leadership, the public and tampered with the Constitution.