PATNA/SRINAGAR: Union minister and LJP(RV) chief Chirag Paswan on Sunday accused the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) of attempting to “create anarchy” through its protests in Delhi over alleged irregularities in the SIR of electoral rolls, and credited the Centre with bringing the situation under control.
“Protests are legitimate when people peacefully express their views. However, when anti-social elements use agitations as a pretext to pursue their own agenda, they need
to be identified. I believe yesterday’s protest was intended to promote anarchy. In such a situation, the Centre appropriately brought the situation under control,” Paswan said in Patna, ruling out CEC’s resignation.
Speaking to reporters in Srinagar, Union minister Ramdas Athawale ruled out the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar and warned that those protesting in Delhi would go to jail. “Whatever agitation you do, CEC Gyanesh Kumar will not resign,” Athawale said, defending the poll panel against allegations that voters had been removed from electoral rolls to benefit the ruling party.
Paswan criticised the Congress for staging demonstrations, alleging that the protests had caused inconvenience to residents of Delhi. He accused the party of remaining silent over allegations of sexual assault against a JNU professor who is a Congress MP.
He accused CJP leaders of trying to “lead the youth towards anarchy”, saying they must be identified and stopped immediately. His remark is completely different from what he had said on Friday, when he had earlier sought to question the unprecedented security clampdown ahead of the CJP’s protest, asserting that “nothing can stop” the youth.
Athawale said around 13 crore voter names had been deleted across the country for various reasons. He argued that the deletions were not limited to opposition supporters only. “Even our voters were deleted,” he said. “Rahul and opposition parties are attempting to corner the government. They are trying to create trouble for people.”