MUMBAI: Extending his support to the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest against the Election Commission in New Delhi, Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) chief Prakash Ambedkar on Saturday accused the Centre of resorting to "dictatorship" to suppress peaceful agitations.
Ambedkar called for a gathering at Hutatma Chowk in south Mumbai to express solidarity with the protest in the national capital.
He alleged that restrictions on transport services, including the cancellation of trains and closure of metro stations, were aimed at preventing people from reaching Delhi to participate in the agitation.
"Political parties have the right to protest, but the way attempts are being made to suppress this agitation amounts to dictatorship," said the VBA leader, who is the grandson of Dr B R Ambedkar.
He claimed that people were being stopped at barricades and forced to walk several kilometres to reach the protest venue, and alleged that notices and arrests were being used to discourage participation.
"The government should allow the protest to take place peacefully and listen to what people have to say. You are not the owners of this country. People have elected you for five years. Rule peacefully, but do not follow a path that leads to dictatorship," Ambedkar said.
The VBA chief urged CJP convenor Abhijeet Dipke not to withdraw from the agitation despite the possibility of arrest or legal action.
The CJP has called for a demonstration against the CEC over allegations of voter-list manipulation during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and changes relating to Form 6, used for voter registration.
"Abhijeet Dipke should not back down now. Even if he is arrested, an FIR is registered against him, or he is sent to jail, he should continue the fight. Once you take up a struggle, you must see it through to the end," he said.
He further noted that even during historical agitations like the Emergency and Mandal Commission protests, governments did not resort to such heavy-handed suppression.
Continued authoritarianism could threaten democratic institutions and lead to serious unrest, he warned.
Ambedkar also criticised the Congress for failing to bring all Opposition parties together to fight against the Election Commission, saying Rahul Gandhi should invite all parties and organisations to join the agitation.
He said the issue should not be viewed through the lens of electoral gains and losses, adding that voters would decide whom to elect when the next elections were held.
Ambedkar maintained that the right to peaceful protest was a constitutional right and urged the authorities to allow the agitation to proceed without obstruction.
