Police on Wednesday dragged Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, and his sister Priyanka Gandhi, who had lain down on the road, into a bus near Jantar Mantar, on the second consecutive day of INDIA bloc protests demanding the dismissal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Congress sources said the bloc’s key leaders were detained as they tried to reach the designated protest site, Jantar Mantar, for which police said they had not sought prior approval.
The opposition alleges voter lists were revised to favour the government, an accusation the Election Commission and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) deny.
The MPs had earlier gathered for a strategy lunch at the Sagar Ratna restaurant on Janpath, convened by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, where the opposition mapped out its next steps over “vote chori”. Alleging that democracy was being destroyed, Kharge said the opposition would take the issue to the people.
Afterwards, MPs boarded buses parked outside the restaurant and headed for Jantar Mantar, but police, who had barricaded every route to the site, stopped them on the way.
Rahul Gandhi and other leaders were initially made to sit in a bus, but got off and sat on the road as officers went to round up the rest. Rahul and Priyanka declined police requests to move, and Priyanka lay down, daring anyone to shift her.
Officers eventually dragged the siblings away and shoved them into a bus.
Delhi Police said protests at Jantar Mantar need prior permission, sought from the Deputy Commissioner of Police, New Delhi District, at least 10 days ahead.
After the lunch, Rahul Gandhi said the plan was to sit together at Jantar Mantar and tell the country that “Gyanesh Kumar is not the legitimate Election Commissioner of the country”.
He added: “Modi Ji, Amit Shah Ji, Mohan Bhagwat, and Gyanesh Kumar have destroyed the democracy of the country.”
Making light of the FIR over Tuesday’s sit-in, Rahul Gandhi said: “There are 45 FIRs against me. My goal is 100.”
He and Priyanka were booked on Wednesday for entering Akashvani Bhavan without permission and staging a sit-in on the premises.
Congress organisation secretary K C Venugopal said: “We don’t care about the FIRs against Gandhi. There are hundreds lodged everywhere in the country.”
On Tuesday, dozens of lawmakers led by Rahul Gandhi marched from parliament to the Election Commission headquarters.
Hundreds of security personnel blocked them from entering, and Gandhi and other Congress MPs then sat on white mattresses under a tree at the neighbouring Akashvani Bhavan, insisting on meeting the election commissioners.
“We will sit as long as we have to,” Gandhi said.
Police forcibly removed him after 8pm and pushed him and others into vans and buses.
They were released after 10pm, about two hours into detention. Gandhi said 300 lawmakers took part, a figure that could not be independently verified.
Delhi Police said the Tuesday detentions were carried out in accordance with the law to maintain peace and for public safety.
The Election Commission said it received a request to meet the lawmakers late on Tuesday, but the suggested venue did not follow its protocol, and the lawmakers rejected an offer to have an officer receive their memorandum.
Opposition parties and the “cockroach” youth movement launched protests against Kumar after the Indian Express newspaper reported disagreements within the commission last month over updating voter lists, a report that could not be independently verified.
The demonstrations challenge Modi midway into his third term, months after similar protests forced his education minister to resign over exam paper leaks.
Kumar has not commented on the issue. BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said Congress lawmakers were misleading the country with baseless claims about the election commission.
