Goal Is 100 FIRs Says Rahul After Arrest Over Protest Against Gyanesh Kumar

NEW DELHI-Opposition protests against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar intensified on October 7, with Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and several other INDIA bloc leaders detained while heading towards the heavily fortified Jantar Mantar to continue their agitation demanding the CEC’s resignation over irregularities in the electoral rolls which benefitted the sitting government and its party.

The latest protest came a day after INDIA bloc MPs were stopped while marching towards the Election Commission of India headquarters in central Delhi. After being prevented from proceeding, the protestors led by Rahul Gandhi staged a more than nine-hour sit-in at Akashvani Bhawan before being detained and later released by the Delhi Police.

The Modi government has barricaded several parts of Delhi, its metro stations and roads. Heavy security has been deployed in central Delhi with police and paramilitary personnel stationed at several points. Some routes were closed and authorities advised commuters to avoid the protest zones.  This comes after the effective CJP protests earlier in the year that saw students come out in the thousands against the racket and corruption in the education system overseen by the government.

The controversy has intensified following a report by The Indian Express last month on differences within the Election Commission over aspects of voter-list revision and registration procedures.

Police were seen pushing Rahul Gandhi, along with several Opposition leaders and workers, into waiting buses as they attempted to proceed towards Jantar Mantar.

Priyanka Gandhi, meanwhile, lay down on the street amid protesters and security personnel, refusing to move until the Opposition leaders were allowed to meet the Election Commission.

“This is how they treat Members of Parliament who are asking simply to meet the Election Commissioner,” she told reporters.

On October 6, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and other INDIA bloc MPs attempted to march from the Parliament area towards the ECI headquarters. Police stopped them near Akashvani Bhawan and the NITI Aayog office, following which the leaders sat on the road. Rahul Gandhi and Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee were seen climbing over a police barricade, while the Congress leaders later entered the Akashvani Bhawan premises through the reception gate.

Police had warned that the demonstration would not be allowed to continue through the night and said those refusing to leave would be detained.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, who had led the march, accused the Election Commission of acting as a “puppet” of the government and said the Opposition was fighting to save democracy. The protesters also carried a banner reading “Save Democracy”.

Rahul Gandhi later reacted to an FIR lodged against him, Priyanka Gandhi and other INDIA bloc MPs over their alleged forcible entry into Akashvani Bhawan.

“I have 45 FIRs against me. My goal is to have 100. I want 100 FIRs to be filed against me. Every FIR is a medal for me,” he said.

Gandhi reiterated the Opposition’s demand for Kumar’s resignation and said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and the CEC had together damaged the country’s democracy.

The agitation has widened beyond the INDIA bloc. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Left parties and Congress joined a protest outside the Delhi Chief Electoral Officer’s office at Kashmere Gate against Kumar.

AAP Delhi President Saurabh Bharadwaj said a nationwide protest would be held on October 10, with Jantar Mantar as its epicenter. He said the AAP was supporting the call by the Cockroach Janata Party, along with Left parties, student organizations and other groups.

The protests are part of a wider series of demonstrations by political parties, student groups and the youth-led Cockroach movement.

The Election Commission’s handling of the electoral rolls has also come under judicial scrutiny. The Supreme Court on October 5 agreed to hear arguments seeking its intervention in the allegations concerning the poll body’s voter-registration exercise and the conduct of its chief.

During the hearing, the court indicated that it would act if decisions were found to be contrary to law, after petitioners alleged bias by the Election Commission. (IANS reports)