INDIA bloc leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, were detained while heading to Jantar Mantar on Wednesday…reports Asian Lite News Desk
INDIA bloc leaders, including Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, were detained by police on Wednesday while heading to Jantar Mantar to stage a protest for the second consecutive day.
The opposition leaders were seeking the dismissal of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar and demanding that they be allowed to meet the Election Commission.
Police were seen pushing Rahul Gandhi, along with several other leaders and workers, into waiting buses as the protest intensified.
Earlier, Priyanka Gandhi lay down on the road amid protesters and security personnel, refusing to move until opposition leaders were allowed to meet the Election Commission.
Speaking to reporters, she said: “This is how they treat Members of Parliament who are asking simply to meet the Election Commissioner.”
Accusing security personnel of “beating” MPs, she said: “The policemen have scratched me all over. They have thrown us to the ground. Now, we are not going to move from here. Let them call their forces back. I will not move from here.”
The protest came a day after Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other INDIA bloc leaders staged a sit-in at Akashvani Bhavan for more than nine hours.
The opposition parties have continued their campaign against the Chief Election Commissioner, with leaders alleging that their concerns regarding the electoral process have not been adequately addressed.
Congress MP Imran Masood accused security personnel of resorting to a “lathi charge” during Wednesday’s protest.
“We will not tolerate the lathi-charge on the workers. Rahul ji and I were on the bus. When Rahul ji got off the bus, pushing and shoving started with Rahul ji and Priyanka ji. They have resorted to hooliganism and are acting like hooligans,” he told reporters.
Congress MP Renuka Chowdhury said the opposition would continue to press for answers.
“Our voice will remain strong until we get our answers,” she said.
Congress leader Sachin Pilot also criticised the police action against the protesters and referred to an FIR registered against Rahul Gandhi following Tuesday’s demonstration.
“The way the police misbehaved with Rahul Ji and Priyanka Ji, stuffing people into buses and taking them to police stations, and unfortunately filing an FIR against them this morning…is going into public spaces, staging a sit-in, protesting, or holding a march illegal in this country?” he said.
Before leaving for Jantar Mantar, Rahul Gandhi also referred to the FIR registered against him over Tuesday’s sit-in at Akashvani Bhavan.
He said he already had 45 cases against him and added that his “goal is to have 100 FIRs”.
The detention of the INDIA bloc leaders came as the opposition’s confrontation with the Election Commission continued for a second day.
The leaders had sought to take their protest to Jantar Mantar after Tuesday’s sit-in, while police moved to prevent the gathering from proceeding as planned.
The developments marked another escalation between opposition parties and authorities over their demands concerning the Election Commission and CEC Gyanesh Kumar.
The opposition has maintained its demand for a meeting with the Election Commission, while the protest has brought several INDIA bloc leaders and workers together in New Delhi.
