Delhi Chaos. Flash Protest After Idly and Dosa

Delhi is once again on high alert as INDIA bloc members led by Rahul Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge are attempting to hold a dharna at Jantar Mantar demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyaneshwar Kumar.

On Wednesday, Kharge, who hosted lunch for the opposition MPs at a restaurant in Janpath, announced that they would be go to Jantar Mantar and stage a protest at the “designated protest site”.

LoP Rahul Gandhi said that he was not bothered about the FIRs that were being filed against him. There are 45 FIRs and I am aiming at 100 he said. The MPs then boarded into buses and moved towards the protest site, which has been heavily barricaded. The buses as of now are stuck in the traffic jam. If the buses are not allowed to reach the Jantar Mantar site, the opposition leaders say that they would sit on dharna wherever it was stopped. They propose to hold a flash protest.

Rahul alleged that the CEC Gyanesh Kumar was an “illegal CEC and will have to resign.” The MPs in the bus include Priyanka Vadra. But the Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has not come today either for the lunch or for the dharna as he is busy in UP in the poll campaign for the upcoming UP Assembly elections.

Kharge alleged that an attempt to finish democracy in the country was underway and mistakes were committed by the Election Commission with the support of the prime minister. He said the BJP does not bother about the Constitution and hence it was their responsibility to take this message across the country. He said the INDIA bloc MPs will continue to fight for the rights and protection of the Constitution.

It may be recalled that Rahul and Priyanka had staged an 8-hour-long dharna inside the premises of Akashvani Bhavan on Sansad Marg in New Delhi on Tuesday before they were lifted by the police. On Wednesday, the police filed an FIR against Rahul for illegal entry into Akashvani Bhavan.

Kharge made the remarks with reference to Delhi Police receiving a complaint against Rahul Gandhi, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and other INDIA bloc MPs accompanying them, for forcibly entering the Akashvani Bhawan during their protest on Tuesday, officials said on Wednesday.

An FIR has been registered in the matter, officials said.

“We won’t be scared by anyone and will keep fighting,” Kharge asserted.

Rahul Gandhi added: “As I said yesterday, around 300 MPs from the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha wanted to meet the CEC yesterday. He did not meet us. The Delhi Police stopped us, and yesterday they said that we cannot protest there.”

“So, our plan today is to go to the designated protest site, Jantar Mantar, and sit there again and tell the country that, for us, Gyanesh Kumar is not the legitimate Election Commissioner of the country,” he added.

Rahul Gandhi reiterated his remarks from Tuesday, saying: “PM Modi, along with Home Minister Amit Shah, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and Gyanesh Kumar have together finished the country’s democracy…as I said yesterday, this is treason and action will be taken against those involved in this. Gyanesh Kumar will have to resign.”

Regarding the FIR, he remarked: “I have 45 FIRs against me. My goal is to have 100. I want 100 FIRs to be filed against me. Every FIR is a medal for me.”