Rahul & other MPs detained during protest march to EC; Akhilesh jumps barricade
In a dramatic turn of events, opposition MPs, including Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, as well as Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Sanjay Raut, were detained by Delhi Police on Monday while they were protesting against the SIR exercise in Bihar. The MPs were staging a march from Parliament to the Election Commission against the alleged voter theft.
The protest was a response to the Supreme Court’s decision to conduct a special investigation into the alleged irregularities in the voters’ list of Bihar. The opposition parties have been demanding a thorough investigation into the matter, alleging that the ruling BJP is trying to suppress the voices of its political opponents by manipulating the voters’ list.
The MPs, who were leading the protest, were detained by the police near the Parliament Street Police Station. Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, and Sanjay Raut were among the leaders who were taken into custody. Other opposition leaders, including Trinamool Congress’s Mahua Moitra and CPI(M)’s Elamaram Kareem, were also detained.
The protesters were demanding that the Election Commission take immediate action to ensure free and fair elections in Bihar. They alleged that the ruling BJP was trying to rig the elections by corrupting the electoral process.
However, the protest took a dramatic turn when Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav jumped over a barricade and joined the protesters. Yadav, who was not part of the original protest march, suddenly appeared at the scene and joined the detained MPs. His sudden move caught the police off guard, and he was also taken into custody along with the other MPs.
The detention of the MPs sparked widespread outrage, with opposition parties accusing the Delhi Police of being biased and partisan. The Congress party condemned the detention of its leaders and called it a “gross violation of democratic rights.”
“The police are trying to suppress the voices of the opposition by detaining us. This is a clear attempt to gag us and stop us from protesting against the injustices being perpetuated by the government,” said Rahul Gandhi, while being detained.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) also condemned the detention of its leader Sanjay Raut, saying it was a “clear example of the government’s intolerance towards opposition voices.”
The RJD, the main opposition party in Bihar, also condemned the detention of the MPs and demanded that the Election Commission take immediate action to ensure free and fair elections in the state.
The Supreme Court has scheduled a hearing on the SIR exercise in Bihar for November 14. The opposition parties are hoping that the court will take a strong stand against the alleged irregularities in the voters’ list and ensure that the elections are conducted fairly.
The detention of the MPs has sparked a heated debate over the issue of democracy and the role of opposition parties in a healthy democracy. The opposition parties are accusing the government of trying to suppress their voices and intimidate them into silence.
As the nation waits with bated breath for the Supreme Court’s verdict on the SIR exercise, the detention of the MPs has raised questions over the government’s commitment to democracy and its willingness to tolerate opposition voices.
News Source: https://x.com/ANI/status/1954798702993846680
