New Delhi: Congress MP and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi Saturday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) of “cowardice” as the Delhi Police cracked down on protesters seeking the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in the national capital.
In a video message posted on X, Gandhi said the government could arrest Opposition leaders and young protesters, but would not be able to stop the movement.
“Mr. Modi, do whatever you want. Call out all the police: 10,000, 20,000, 50,000, whatever you want. Arrest all the leaders. Arrest all the young people. Arrest us all,” he said. “We are surrounding you, and we are not going to back down. Mark my words: we already have the information we need.”
The Congress leader also called Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, CEC Gyanesh Kumar and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval the “villains of this story”, saying that they were “slowly finding the space closing around them”.
“We are closing that space,” he added.
I’ve been fighting Narendra Modi and the RSS for over a decade now. I understand them like you would understand your opponent – inside out, like the back of my hand.
The core characteristic of these people is cowardice.
Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, Mohan Bhagwat, Gyanesh Kumar and… pic.twitter.com/pWgb7y8pbA
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) October 10, 2026
“We are surrounding you, and we are not going to back down. Mark my words: we already have the information we need. We are going to defend our Constitution. We are going to protect the voice of the Indian people. And we are going to ensure that what was done to India over the last 10-15 years will never, ever be done again,” he further remarked.
Gandhi ended his message by expressing his support for the young protesters. “I’m proud of you youth of India. Keep on protesting. We stand with you,” he said.
His remarks came as Delhi witnessed mass detentions in the wake of the call for a ‘Jantar Mantar 2.0’ protest by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).
More than 3,500 people were detained. Among the detainees are CJP office-bearers, journalists, YouTubers, lawyers, activists, and leaders of opposition parties, including Aam Aadmi Party, Mamata All India Trinamool Congress and Communist Party of India (Marxist).
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke and office-bearers Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were taken into preventive custody Saturday morning from inside their aircraft soon after the flight landed at Delhi airport. YouTube influencer Dhruv Rathee was arrested from his home in Gurugram, and CJP legal cell head Ratna Singh was arrested from her residence in Delhi. All India Students’ Association (AISA) president Neha Bora and political activist Yogendra Yadav were also detained at Dilli Haat, where they were leading a demonstration.
Student organisations, among others, also alleged that people travelling to Delhi for the protest were being detained in other states or put under house arrest.
On Saturday, Gandhi visited Chennai to attend the sixth edition of the Congress’s youth outreach programme ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’, and interact with students. Ahead of the event, he also met Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay.
(Edited by Mannat Chugh)
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