Rahul vows to fight until Gyanesh quits

New Delhi: The Delhi Police on Wednesday detained Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and several INDIA bloc MPs while they were attempting to reach Jantar Mantar for a protest demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

This is the second detention that happened in less than 24 hours. Opposition leaders, including Rahul and Priyanka, were stopped and detained during their protest on Wednesday evening in the national capital. Rahul Gandhi has been taken to the Barakhamba Road Police Station, while Priyanka was taken to Chatrsal Stadium Station. The Opposition MPs had gathered for a lunch hosted by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge at a restaurant in central Delhi before boarding buses for Jantar Mantar, a designated protest site.

Police stopped the buses near Janpath and Ashoka Road, leading to a commotion between the leaders and personnel. The MPs alleged that they were manhandled and prevented from proceeding to the protest site.

Rahul Gandhi, who has repeatedly demanded CEC Kumar’s resignation, said the Opposition would not back down. “We are not going to stop protesting till Gyanesh Kumar resigns. This is a fight to protect the most sacred thing in this country. There is nothing that Narendra Modi and Amit Shah can do that will stop us,” he said in a video message posted on X from inside the bus where he was being held after being detained. Videos showed Priyanka Gandhi Vadra lay on the road alongside other women Opposition leaders after Delhi Police stopped their buses from proceeding to the designated protest site. She was seen holding a copy of the Constitution. “What is the value of the Constitution in this nation? We will lay down our lives for the Constitution. No cost is too high for us,” Priyanka Gandhi told reporters while waving a copy of the Constitution from the police vehicle.