New Delhi: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday alleged that around 300 MPs from both Houses of Parliament were stopped by police while they were marching towards the Election Commission of India (ECI) to meet Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the other Election Commissioners.
The INDIA bloc MPs were protesting against the Chief Election Commissioner and seeking to meet the poll panel over their concerns regarding electoral processes. The march from Parliament towards the Election Commission headquarters was halted by police near Parliament Street.
Speaking to reporters at the protest site, Gandhi questioned why elected representatives were not being allowed to proceed to the Election Commission office, which he said was only a short distance away.
“We represent the people of India,” Gandhi said, alleging that the MPs had been prevented from meeting the Election Commissioners.
Rahul Gandhi Questions Police Action
Gandhi said around 300 MPs from the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha had gathered to meet Gyanesh Kumar and his two colleagues but were stopped by the police.
He questioned the reason for preventing the MPs from reaching the poll panel and said the Election Commission’s responsibility was to ensure that elections were conducted properly.
Gandhi also rejected criticism from the BJP that he was making false claims, saying that the opposition was raising issues concerning the electoral process and democracy.
Allegations Against Government and Election Commission
During his interaction with reporters, Gandhi accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and CEC Gyanesh Kumar of undermining democracy. These were political allegations made by Gandhi and have not been established as facts.
He also alleged that the country had been “hijacked” through what the opposition describes as “vote theft” and said action would eventually be taken against those whom he accused.
The INDIA bloc’s protest comes amid opposition criticism of the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and other issues related to voter registration. The Election Commission has rejected allegations of wrongdoing and maintained that its decisions on the SIR process were taken unanimously.
Opposition Leaders Detained
The protest later escalated, with Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other opposition leaders detained by Delhi Police after continuing their demonstration near Akashvani Bhawan, close to the Election Commission headquarters.
The confrontation between the INDIA bloc and the Election Commission has intensified political debate over electoral-roll revisions and the functioning of the poll panel.
