Lucknow/Ballia (UP), Oct 10 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh Minister of State for Minority Welfare Danish Azad Ansari on Saturday asserted that the country functions according to democratic systems and the Constitution, and it cannot be run through coercion.
Responding to the ongoing protest called for by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), Ansari said there are certain individuals in the country who are deliberately undermining the constitutional framework and actively working to spread disorder.
Speaking to reporters in Ballia, Ansari said, “One must move beyond the mindset of unnecessarily misleading the public. The country runs on democratic systems and the Constitution; it cannot be run through coercion. Whatever the issue, a solution can be found through dialogue and conversation. This is the hallmark of our nation. Yet, there are some people deliberately undermining the constitutional framework and constantly working to create disorder in the country.”
Hitting out at the Congress, the minister said the party has lost its relevance, and the public has outrightly rejected it.
Actor-turned-politician and BJP MP Kangana Ranaut, who arrived in Lucknow on Saturday, parried questions on the cancellation of trains in the wake of the protest.
Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Aradhana Misra Mona told PTI Videos that the BJP is frightened.
“This is the picture of a frightened Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Today, the BJP is attempting to murder democracy. The Constitution of this country grants the right to any political party, any organisation, and even to an individual to express their views peacefully and democratically. Then, what is the need to create an Emergency-like situation? Why were trains and metro services halted? Why are trains being cancelled? And why are vehicles being stopped at toll plazas?” she asked.
“The BJP will have to answer for this. You have deployed paramilitary forces in Delhi. Look at how people are being detained in Uttar Pradesh! Many of our people were detained. Cases are being filed against them. This is the image of a frightened BJP,” she said.
Mona termed the INDIA bloc leaders’ Friday meeting with President Droupadi Murmu as “positive”.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said that if the BJP government thinks it can stop people through the might of power, it will prove to be a great mistake.
In a post on X in Hindi, Yadav said, “We stand with the youthful energy of the nation. If the BJP government thinks it can halt the people through the might of power, this will prove to be an even greater mistake on its part. Jantar Mantar is no longer just the name of a place; it has become a symbol of a new consciousness and awakening. If the government stops the protesters, then Jantar Mantar will spring up everywhere in the country.”
In contrast, Rashtriya Lok Dal spokesperson Ankur Saxena told PTI that any protest at this stage lacks legitimacy.
“Since the matter pertaining to the Chief Election Commissioner is pending in the Supreme Court, any protest or agitation will only mean disrespect to the apex court and the judiciary. Any protest now will not be considered as legitimate. I request my young friends to cooperate with the government, as the government is sensitive on all the issues.”
Minister Narendra Kashyap told PTI Videos that the Congress, Samajwadi Party and other opposition parties are using the CJP to target Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He exuded confidence that the Central government will crush the ongoing protest, which is causing hardships to people in Uttar Pradesh and across the country.
The CJP had given the protest call against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over allegations of voter list manipulation during the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in several states and Union Territories and changes made in Form 6 used for voter registration.
Delhi Police on Saturday detained around 500 protesters, who were trying to reach Jantar Mantar for the proposed CJP stir.
Sources said the protesters were detained across the New Delhi area, where police were using drones to monitor the movement of people attempting to reach the protest site. Police detained protesters at several places, including near Regal Cinema, Minto Bridge and Akashwani Bhawan. PTI COR NAV RUK
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