Congress to hold rally against 'vote chori' at Ramlila Maidan on Dec 14
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New Delhi (PTI): The Congress on Friday announced that it will hold a rally on December 14 at Ramlila Maidan here, against the alleged "vote chori".
It alleged that the Election Commission of India (ECI) is now a "blatantly partisan player" that is "completely destroying" the very concept of a level-playing field for all political parties during elections.
Congress General Secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal said the spectre of "vote chori" is the biggest danger looming over our democracy today.
"To send a message across the nation against these attempts to destroy our Constitution, the Congress will hold the 'Vote Chor Gaddi Chhod' Maha Rally on December 14 (1.30 pm onwards) at Ramlila Maidan, New Delhi," he said on X.
"We have received crores of signatures from every corner of India, rejecting the BJP-ECI's nefarious tactics like adding bogus voters, deleting opposition-inclined voters, and manipulating voter rolls at a mass scale," Venugopal said.
Every Indian has seen how the ECI bends rules, ignores violations of model code of conduct, and indulges in daylight bribery to help the BJP rig elections, the Congress leader alleged.
"The ECI, which was once a neutral umpire, is now a blatantly partisan player -- completely destroying the very concept of a level-playing field in elections," he said.
"We will not remain silent as this attack on the electoral system unfolds in front of our eyes. This Maha Rally is only the beginning of our fight to reclaim Indian democracy from the clutches of the Vote Chors!" Venugopal said.
Earlier this week, the Congress accused the Election Commission of working on a "sinister design" to destroy the democracy and opposition parties through a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, and vowed to take to the streets with a protest rally at Ramlila Maidan.
Upping the ante over its 'vote chori' pitch, the Congress had said that the poll body's conduct during the SIR process has been "deeply disappointing" as the exercise is aimed at deleting targeted votes.
The party had demanded that the Election Commission must immediately demonstrate that it is not operating under the BJP's shadow.
Days after the Bihar poll debacle, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday chaired a meeting with key office-bearers from 12 states and Union Territories (UT), where the SIR is underway. He had alleged that the BJP is attempting to "weaponise" the SIR exercise for "vote chori".
Kharge, MP and former party president Rahul Gandhi, and AICC general secretaries had participated in a review meeting with state unit chiefs, Congress Legislature Party leaders and secretaries of 12 states and UTs where the SIR is underway.
The states and UTs are Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Puducherry, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Lakshadweep.
Among these, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala and West Bengal will go to polls in 2026. Phase 2 of the SIR exercise began on November 4 and will continue till December 4.
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Rupee falls 9 paise to all-time low of 90.58 against US dollar in early trade
Mumbai (PTI): Rupee depreciated 9 paise to an all-time low of 90.58 against US dollar in early trade on Monday, weighed down by uncertainty over an India-US trade deal and persistent foreign fund outflows.
Forex traders said rupee is trading with a negative bias as investors are in wait and watch mode and awaiting cues from the India-US trade deal front.
At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 90.53 against the US dollar, then fell further to an all-time intraday low of 90.58 against the greenback, registering a fall of 9 paise over its previous close.
On Friday, the rupee had slipped 17 paise to close at an all-time low of 90.49 against the American currency.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.05 per cent lower at 98.35.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading higher by 0.52 per cent at USD 61.44 per barrel in futures trade.
On the domestic equity market front, the 30-share benchmark index Sensex was trading 298.86 points lower at 84,968.80, while the Nifty was down 121.40 points at 25,925.55.
Foreign Institutional Investors sold equities worth Rs 1,114.22 crore on Friday, according to exchange data.
"FPIs continue to be in selling mode in equity and debt while RBI has been selling dollars to fund their long positions," said Anil Kumar Bhansali, Head of Treasury and Executive Director Finrex Treasury Advisors LLP.
