All India Congress Committee general secretary K.C. Venugopal on Friday launched a sharp attack on Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, saying former Chief Secretary Jiji Thomson's disclosure that Kumar had urged him in 2016 to join the Bharatiya Janata Party was "extremely serious" and raised grave questions about the neutrality of the country's top poll body.
Venugopal said Thomson's account, which refers to an interaction when Kumar was still serving as an IAS officer in the Kerala cadre, "clearly exposes" the CEC as an operative who had taken upon himself the task of installing Narendra Modi and Amit Shah in power. The Congress leader's remarks mark one of the most direct political assaults yet on the head of the Election Commission, a constitutional authority whose independence has long been central to India's democratic framework.
According to Venugopal, the issue goes beyond a personal allegation and strikes at the legitimacy of the institution itself. He alleged that the post of Chief Election Commissioner was effectively handed over to Kumar as a reward for doing the BJP's bidding while still in government service. In his view, the disclosure by Thomson adds to a pattern of conduct that, he said, points to political alignment rather than institutional neutrality.
Venugopal also drew attention to a Parliamentary legislation passed by the BJP, saying it explicitly bars civil or criminal proceedings against the Chief Election Commissioner or other Election Commissioners for any action taken or words spoken while discharging official duties. He argued that this legal protection had been extended to Kumar as part of a broader political arrangement, and suggested that it insulated the top election official from accountability at a time when questions were being raised about his conduct.
The Congress leader escalated his criticism further by demanding that Kumar be removed immediately. He accused the CEC of heading what he described as a racket that "seizes power by hollowing out democracy," and said Kumar was reciprocating the BJP's favours by undermining elections in the country. The language reflected the growing intensity of opposition criticism over the functioning and perceived independence of the Election Commission, especially in a politically charged environment.
Venugopal also claimed that dissent against Kumar was already surfacing within the National Democratic Alliance, suggesting that concerns about the CEC's role were not confined to the opposition. He urged the Modi government to act without delay and remove the CEC from office in order to protect the integrity of the Election Commission.
The remarks are likely to deepen the political controversy around the Election Commission at a time when questions over institutional autonomy and electoral fairness continue to animate national debate. While the source material does not indicate any response from Gyanesh Kumar or the Election Commission, Venugopal's comments place the issue squarely in the public domain and raise the stakes for the government, which now faces renewed opposition pressure to defend the credibility of the country's election management system.
For the Congress, the Thomson disclosure offers fresh ammunition in its broader critique of what it sees as the erosion of democratic checks and balances. For the government, the allegations create another flashpoint over the independence of constitutional institutions, with the opposition now demanding not just explanation but immediate removal of the Chief Election Commissioner. The controversy is likely to reverberate beyond party lines, given the central role of the Election Commission in safeguarding free and fair elections in the world's largest democracy.