New Delhi: Veterans Mallikarjun Kharge and Sharad Pawar raising slogans with clenched fists; Akhilesh Yadav, Mahua Moitra, and Sushmita Dev clambering over police barricades; and Rahul Gandhi rushing to help Trinamool Congress MP Mitali Bag after she fainted—the Opposition-planned march from Parliament to the Election Commission of India on Monday produced striking visuals.
The protest against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, among other issues, ran into barricades put up by the Delhi Police near Transport Bhawan on Parliament Street.
The police detained scores of MPs from across parties, including Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Rajya Sabha Leader of Opposition Kharge, and took them to the Parliament Street Police Station, said Delhi Police Special Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Madhup Tiwari.
The ECI agreed to meet a delegation of 30 leaders from the opposition parties, citing paucity of space in its headquarters. However, the Congress-led Opposition has insisted that all MPs wish to meet the commission “collectively”.
“The MPs wish to collectively meet with the Commission on a host of issues, including but not limited to Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls being undertaken in Bihar and proposed to be undertaken in other states, as well,” Congress Rajya Sabha chief whip Jairam Ramesh wrote to the ECI on 10 August. “We look forward to meeting with the Commission, which will be in keeping with the highest tradition of our parliamentary democracy.”
Accordingly, the Opposition MPs, including leaders of the AAP which has exited the INDIA bloc, gathered in the Parliament complex at 11 am and began marching to the ECI at 11.30 am, but the police stopped them near the Transport Bhawan.
Speaking to reporters from inside the police vehicle that took him to the Parliament Street Police Station, Rahul Gandhi said Monday, “The reality is we can’t talk, but the truth is in front of the country. This fight is not political, but it is about saving the Constitution. And, the fight for one man, one vote. That is why we need precise electoral rolls.”
Later, in a post on X, Rahul wrote, “Today, when we were going to meet the Election Commission, all the MPs of the INDIA alliance were stopped and taken into custody. The truth of vote theft is now before the country … The united Opposition and every voter in the country demand a clean and transparent voter list. And, we will secure this right at all costs.”
Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, also detained, held up a copy of the Constitution of India and raised slogans against the Modi government inside the police vehicle after her detention.
Holding posters against the Modi government and the ECI, Akhilesh Yadav climbed over a barricade on Parliament Street as his supporters and other Samajwadi Party MPs cheered him on. TMC MPs Mahua Moitra and Sushmita Dev and the Congress’s Jothimani and Sanjana Jatav among others jumped over a barricade.
In the melee, TMC Lok Sabha MP Mitali Bag fell unconscious. Fellow MPs, including Rahul Gandhi, rushed to help her. After marching briefly, Kharge and NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar were made to sit on chairs laid out on the road. Other MPs, including Congress’s Kumari Selja, gathered around them.
The two veteran leaders continued to raise slogans against the Modi government.
Many of the leaders remained in the police station, even as parliamentary proceedings which started at 2 pm. In a video recorded at the police station, Congress Lok Sabha MP Manickam Tagore said that the parliamentary proceedings had started without the Opposition MPs, who were still in detention.
After Rajya Sabha proceedings resumed at 3 pm, Kharge tried to raise the electoral roll issue, drawing opposition from the treasury benches.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)