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The INDIA Alliance has renamed its proposed “Mock Parliament” as a “People’s Impeachment” or “Jan Mahabhiyog”, as opposition parties continue their campaign against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

 

The change was made to avoid any action that could be interpreted as contempt of Parliament. The event, scheduled for Friday at the residence of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, will feature a motion seeking the impeachment of the Chief Election Commissioner.

 

Opposition leaders met to finalise the format and proceedings of the programme. Former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, Congress leaders Priyanka Gandhi, Jairam Ramesh, Nasir Hussain, Manickam Tagore and Pawan Khera attended the meeting. Trinamool Congress leader Derek O’Brien, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha’s Mahua Maji and Samajwadi Party leader Harendra Malik were also present.

 

The initial proposal was to replicate parliamentary proceedings, with government and opposition representatives debating the motion before a presiding officer. That plan has now been revised.

 

Meira Kumar will conduct the “People’s Impeachment”, assisted by a Samajwadi Party MP whose name has not yet been finalised.

 

The proceedings are scheduled to begin at 3 pm and continue until 7.30 pm. Kharge, the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, will open the arguments, while Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, will deliver the concluding remarks.

 

Representatives of 19 political parties will address the gathering. Each party has been allocated five minutes, while the Samajwadi Party and the Trinamool Congress will receive 10 minutes each.

 

People whose names have been deleted from the electoral rolls will also be allowed to speak. Three civil society members are expected to participate, taking the total number of speakers to around 30.

 

The central issue will be the deletion of names from electoral rolls, a process carried out by the poll panel. The Congress has said that the exercise has affected 13.5 crore voters, while it now puts the figure at 16.5 crore.

 

The Congress and other INDIA bloc parties will livestream the event through their YouTube channels and other social media platforms. The programme will end with the national anthem, “Jana Gana Mana”.