NEW DELHI: Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Sunday appealed to citizens, Opposition parties, youth and civil society groups to march to the Supreme Court in Delhi on Monday, demanding an end to alleged “vote chori”, a halt to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Earlier, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said he and Gandhi would meet Chief Justice of India Surya Kant between 4 pm and 5 pm on Monday to present their concerns and seek his intervention.
The announcements came amid continuing protests in the capital over alleged voter roll irregularities and accusations of police brutality and the detention of demonstrators.
In a video message on X, Gandhi said the protesters would submit a memorandum to the Chief Justice “on behalf of the nation”. Appealing for participation beyond political and social divisions, he said, “Tomorrow, we will march to the Supreme Court as Indians, united beyond party, gender, caste, community and state.”
Gandhi alleged that police personnel and BJP workers had attacked young people who gathered peacefully in Delhi on Saturday. “They came with love in their hearts, not hatred or anger. They were beaten, both by cops and BJP goons,” he said.
“This is not the India we want,” he added.
Urging everyone who believes in democracy and stands by the Constitution to join the march, Gandhi said, “Youth, all opposition parties, civil society groups, all those who believe in democracy and stand by the Constitution of India, will walk with us.”
He also attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, asserting that they could not silence the voice of the people.
“These cowards cannot intimidate us. They will have to step aside,” he said.
Reiterating his message of “do not be afraid”, Gandhi said, “We will march together, with love, brotherhood and patriotism.”
Earlier in the day, Kharge said he and Gandhi had written to the Chief Justice seeking a meeting over the electoral roll controversy.
“We have scheduled a meeting between 4 and 5 PM, during which we will apprise him of the situation. We cannot demand anything from him, but we will place our concerns before him with folded hands and request his intervention,” Kharge wrote on X.
Asserting that the Opposition would continue its fight, Kharge accused Modi and Shah of having “created chaos” across the country. He said the heavy police deployment and detention of protesters demanding Kumar’s resignation on Saturday reflected the government’s “fear” of the youth agitation.
The Congress had on Saturday announced a major Opposition march in Delhi on Monday, along with plans for a delegation of senior INDIA bloc leaders to submit a memorandum to the Chief Justice.