New Delhi: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Monday accused the BJP-RSS and the Delhi Police of attacking protesters demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, alleging that the national capital had been turned into a “jail” to protect the poll chief.
Addressing a press conference ahead of the INDIA bloc’s proposed march to the Supreme Court, Rahul alleged that BJP-RSS workers were attacking protesters, including women, while the police were using force against young demonstrators. He played videos purportedly showing police personnel and BJP-RSS workers attacking protesters.
“Why is Delhi being turned into a jail? People are being stopped from reaching Delhi. The capital has been turned into a fortress,” Rahul said, referring to the security restrictions imposed in the city amid the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) protest against electoral irregularities and its demand for Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation.
He claimed that the heavy deployment of security personnel was a mistake by the government, as it would expose how the authorities were allegedly protecting the CEC.
The INDIA bloc leaders are scheduled to march from the Barakhamba Road junction to the Supreme Court on Monday to submit a petition over alleged “vote chori”, seeking Kumar’s resignation and an end to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Rahul said the protest was part of a growing public movement against electoral malpractice that had gathered momentum in Delhi over the past four to five days.
“This fight is to save the Constitution. This is not about Rahul Gandhi or Narendra Modi,” he said, urging people who could not join the march to express their solidarity from wherever they were.
He added that the Opposition would not retreat from its stand. “We will not back down. We are standing with the truth,” he said, asserting that young people would continue their agitation until the Constitution was upheld, the CEC was removed, the electoral system was revamped and justice was delivered.
‘You will not survive as CEC’
In a direct warning to Kumar, Rahul said the CEC would be held accountable over the allegations against him.
“We know Gyanesh Kumar is unable to sleep at night. I am telling him directly: you will not survive as CEC,” Rahul said.
He alleged that the political contest had now crystallised into two opposing camps, with the people and Opposition parties on one side and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Kumar on the other.
Rahul also claimed that around 200 government officials were in touch with the Opposition and sharing information with it.
“Five criminals have attacked the idea of India. They will face justice,” he said, referring to Modi, Shah, Doval, Kumar and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat.
The Congress leader maintained that the agitation was aimed at defending democratic institutions and the Constitution, rather than targeting individual political leaders.
The proposed march comes amid continuing tensions over the CJP’s attempts to stage a protest at Jantar Mantar. The organisation had planned a demonstration on Saturday demanding Kumar’s resignation over irregularities in electoral rolls during the SIR exercise. Its leaders were detained after arriving in Delhi and released on Sunday.
The CJP has since said it would approach the Delhi Police to seek a fresh date for a peaceful demonstration, warning that further protests would follow if its request was not addressed.
