INDIA bloc leaders on Thursday held a peaceful protest at Rajghat, accusing the BJP-led government and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of undermining democracy and indulging in “vote chori”.
The opposition leaders paid floral tributes at Mahatma Gandhi’s memorial and offered prayers for “wisdom” to the BJP government and the CEC. They said the protest would continue on Friday and vowed to sustain their agitation until Kumar resigns.
Congress leader Pawan Khera said the INDIA bloc leaders had prayed for the protection of every voter’s right and democracy in the country.
CPI-M leader John Brittas said the protest would continue until Kumar tenders his resignation. “If his masters — Modi and Amit Shah — are bent upon protecting Gyanesh Kumar, they will also sink with him,” he said.
CPI leader P Sandosh also called for Kumar’s resignation, saying it would be “better for the country”, while CPI-M’s V Sivadasan said the unity of opposition parties remained intact.
The protest marked the third consecutive day of the opposition’s agitation over alleged irregularities in the electoral rolls and demands for Kumar’s resignation.
Earlier in the day, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge hosted opposition leaders and MPs for lunch in Connaught Place, following which they decided to stage the protest at Rajghat. The leaders travelled to the memorial in buses, accompanied by Congress workers.
On Tuesday, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi staged an eight-hour sit-in at the Akashvani Bhawan complex, while opposition leaders were stopped by police during their protest in central Delhi on Wednesday and detained.
Gandhi, earlier on Thursday, accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and Kumar of “hijacking” the country through a “criminal conspiracy” and alleged that they had “destroyed the Constitution and stolen votes”.
He asserted that the opposition would hold those responsible to account.
Kharge said the opposition wanted to draw the country’s attention to what he described as attempts by the BJP government to take away citizens’ right to vote.
Several opposition leaders, including TMC’s Abhishek Banerjee, Saket Gokhale and Samirul Islam, SP’s Rajeev Rai and Mohibullah, CPI-M’s Brittas, CPI’s Sandosh and RJD’s Sudhakar Singh, attended the lunch meeting.