Buses carrying opposition MPs wound their way slowly to Raj Ghat on the Yamuna's banks - a distance of 4.5 km - and, once there, they stepped out and sat in silent protest on the lawn.
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi led INDIA bloc MPs to Raj Ghat on Day 3 of the opposition’s vociferous protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The MPs travelled in buses from a restaurant in Connaught Place – Moets – at which they’d gathered this afternoon for a pre-protest lunch. The tactic was the same as Wednesday – a joint lunch (at Sagar Ratna on Janpath) – and a shared bus ride to the protest site.
Wednesday’s protest plans were disrupted by Delhi Police; the cops set up barricades and intercepted buses carrying the opposition MPs to the Jantar Mantar protest site.
What followed was entirely predictable – a sea of enraged party workers spilled out of the buses and swarmed around the cops while they dragged protesters and politicians away.
Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were detained – for a second time in as many days – and faced police cases – for a second time in as many days.
This afternoon’s protest was, by comparison, much calmer.
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Buses carrying opposition MPs wound their way slowly to Raj Ghat on the Yamuna’s banks – a distance of 4.5 km – and, once there, they stepped out and sat in silent protest on the lawn.
A few hours later – unaccosted by police – they got back in the buses and left.
The protests – including those in Mumbai and Bengaluru spearheaded by the Abhijeet Dipke-founded Cockroach Janta Party – are pushing for CEC Gyanesh Kumar to resign or be removed
Express’ Election Commission investigation
Kumar came under fire after the Express reported last month that the other two commissioners – Sukhbir Sandhu and Vivek Joshi – had objected to aspects of the voter re-verification drive.
The objections included red flags over ‘illegal’ changes to Form 6 and centralisation of control of ECINET, the voter rolls database. The Election Commission later rolled back the changes to Form 6 and announced special drives to re-enlist ‘left out’ voters.
On Wednesday Rahul Gandhi – while he was being taken away in a police van – told reporters the protests will continue till Gyanesh Kumar resigns.
“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 (Prime Minister) Modi or (Union Home Minister) Amit Shah can do that will stop us,” he declared.
Two days of INDIA bloc protests against the CECThe demand: Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over alleged irregularities in the revision of voter lists. Day 1, Tuesday6 OctoberDay 2, Wednesday7 OctoberWhereParliament to EC office, stopped at Akashvani BhavanSagar Ratna lunch, then towards Jantar MantarBuild-upRoughly 200 MPs gather at Parliament. The march to the EC office begins before noon.Kharge hosts INDIA bloc MPs for lunch. Rahul Gandhi says roughly 300 MPs will gather.
The SP is absent.ActionPolice barricades stop the march. Rahul Gandhi climbs them, and Akhilesh Yadav is among those detained.Then the Gandhis enter Akashvani Bhavan. When police lock the back gate, they sit down.Police stop the buses near Windsor Place, 900 m from Jantar Mantar.
Workers swarm the roads.Rahul Gandhi is bundled into a bus. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra lies on the road clutching the Constitution.Wind-downAfter nearly nine hours under a tree, the Gandhis are detained and later released.They face a police case. Sources say some allies felt the Gandhis ‘stole the show’.The Gandhis are detained for a second time in two days, and Rahul is taken to a police station and released.“We are not going to stop protesting till Gyanesh Kumar resigns.”Next, Thursday: Mamata Banerjee is set to join. MPs are invited to lunch at Moets, Connaught Place, at 1.45
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