New Delhi, Oct 8 (PTI) Intensifying their protest, INDIA bloc leaders on Thursday staged a peaceful sit-in at Mahatma Gandhi’s memorial at Rajghat to highlight what they alleged was “hijacking” of the country by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar through a criminal conspiracy of ‘vote chori’.
This was the third consecutive day of protests against the CEC and alleged ‘vote chori’ by opposition leaders, who pledged to continue their agitation until Kumar resigns.
After two days of fierce protests during which several leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, were detained and forcibly removed by the police, the opposition leaders gathered at Rajghat to offer floral tributes and pray for “wisdom to the BJP government and the chief election commissioner”.
INDIA bloc constituents Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SCP) did not take part in the protests on Wednesday and Thursday.
The opposition leaders are now seeking time to meet President Droupadi Murmu to present their case and demand the CEC’s dismissal.
Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi alleged that Modi, Shah, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, and CEC Kumar have destroyed the Constitution and asserted that they will be brought to justice.
“The truth is that Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, Mohan Bhagwat, and Gyanesh Kumar have hijacked the country through a criminal conspiracy. They have destroyed the Constitution and stolen votes,” he said.
“They (Amit Shah, Narendra Modi, Mohan Bhagwat and Gyanesh Kumar) will be brought to justice. This is our guarantee, and you will see it happen,” he asserted.
Gandhi spoke after Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge hosted a lunch for opposition MPs and leaders at Moets restaurant in Connaught Place.
After the lunch, the leaders moved to Rajghat in three buses accompanied by hundreds of supporters raising slogans and waving flags.
Amid drum beats, the bus procession moved slowly via Minto Road and Asaf Ali Road, crossing Delhi Gate and Delite cinema with members of Youth Congress, NSUI, and Left organisations raising slogans against Modi, Shah and Kumar.
The workers waved the tricolour, and also flags of their parties and organisations.
The nearly five-km distance was covered in about two hours. Upon reaching Rajghat, the leaders went to the memorial and sat there in silence while paying floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi.
Kharge said, “We have peacefully protested and raised the issues of the public. We came here to Gandhi ji’s memorial to pray for wisdom for this government. Vote ‘chori’ must be stopped, those who have committed mistakes should resign, and the voting rights of citizens must remain protected.”
On the sit-in at Rajghat, he said the opposition highlighted before the country that the BJP government is “snatching away our right to vote. Modi and Shah are snatching away that freedom which great leaders like Gandhiji, Nehru ji, and Sardar Patel ji had won for us.”
Later in a post on X, Kharge said great heroes like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel and many others won independence for the country and through the Constitution secured the right for the people to vote.
“But Modi Ji and Gyanesh Kumar are together orchestrating ‘vote theft.’ This is dangerous for democracy and an assault on the Constitution; we will not tolerate it. We will continue to fight for its protection.”
Party leader K C Venugopal said the greatest message that the opposition is giving at the memorial of Mahatma Gandhi, who helped the country gain freedom, is to keep the freedom of India intact.
“The entire democracy is being completely finished by Modi and Shah through Gyanesh Kumar. We are coming here to pray at Mahatma Gandhi memorial and this is one of the most powerful agitations,” he said.
Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh, Venugopal, and Congress’ head of media and publicity department Pawan Khera, along with leaders from CPI-M, CPI, TMC, RJD, and SP, asserted that the agitation will continue on Friday.
Sources said “the plan for Friday remains centred on Rashtrapati Bhavan”.
They noted that a morning meeting is scheduled at Parliament House. TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee and SP leader Ram Gopal Yadav are expected to join Friday’s proceedings.
Banerjee would have joined the protest Thursday but her flight was delayed for almost two hours due to a bomb scare that turned out to be a false alert, the sources said.
Khera later told reporters, “You saw how INDIA bloc MPs and leaders peacefully protested at Rajghat and paid respects to Mahatma Gandhi. We prayed for wisdom to this government, wisdom to CEC Gyanesh Kumar and prayed for protecting the vote of every voter as well as democracy in the country.”
CPI-M leader John Brittas said if Kumar’s masters – Modi and Shah – are bent on protecting him, they will also sink with him. “We are proceeding with resolve and determination.” CPI leader P Sandosh also said it will be better for the country if Kumar resigns soon.
V Sivadasan of the CPI-M said the unity of opposition parties is intact.
Gandhi earlier said around 300 MPs wanted to hold a peaceful sit-in, but on the first day, we were stopped near the Election Commission’s office and on the second day were prevented from going to Jantar Mantar, and were “beaten up”.
On Tuesday, Gandhi staged an eight-hour sit-in inside Akashvani Bhawan complex and on Wednesday the leaders staged a protest at the roundabout near Shangri-La hotel in central Delhi after they were stopped by the police and forcibly removed and detained.
Besides Congress leaders, TMC’s Abhishek Banerjee, Menaka Guruswamy, Saket Gokhale, Samirul Islam and SP’s Rajeev Rai and Mohibullah, CPI-M’s Brittas, CPI’s Sandosh, RJD’s Manoj Kumar Jha and Sudhakar Singh were also present at Thursday’s lunch. PTI ASK SBR SKC ZMN
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