Rahul & other MPs detained during protest march to EC; Akhilesh jumps barricade
On Monday, a significant political development took place in the national capital, Delhi, as a group of opposition MPs, including prominent leaders from the Congress party and other political organizations, were detained by the Delhi Police while staging a protest march to the Election Commission (EC). The protest was aimed at voicing their opposition to the Special Investigation Report (SIR) exercise being conducted in Bihar, which they alleged was a move to steal votes in the upcoming assembly elections.
The protest march was led by Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, who were accompanied by other opposition MPs, including Sanjay Raut from the Shiv Sena (UBT) and Akhilesh Yadav from the Samajwadi Party (SP). The MPs, who were dressed in casual clothes and without any security personnel, began their march from Parliament and made their way to the EC office, which is located about 3-4 kilometers away.
However, as they approached the EC office, they were met with a strong presence of Delhi Police personnel, who had been deployed to prevent any untoward incidents. The police had set up barricades and put up a fence to block the MPs’ path, but this did not deter the protesters. Rahul Gandhi, being the fiery leader that he is, decided to take matters into his own hands and jumped over the barricade, attempting to reach the EC office.
As Rahul Gandhi and other MPs tried to breach the police cordon, they were swiftly detained by the police and taken away. The police used force to disperse the crowd, and several MPs, including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, were picked up and put into police vans. The detained MPs were later taken to the nearest police station, where they were held for several hours before being released.
The protest march was a result of the opposition parties’ frustration over the SIR exercise, which they claimed was a move by the ruling BJP government to manipulate the electoral process and favor its own candidates in the upcoming assembly elections. The opposition parties have been demanding a rollback of the SIR exercise, but their demands have fallen on deaf ears.
The SIR exercise, which is a report compiled by the EC on the electoral rolls, aims to identify and remove duplicate or fake voters from the electoral rolls. While the EC claims that the exercise is aimed at ensuring the integrity of the electoral process, the opposition parties claim that it is a ploy to disenfranchise certain sections of society and help the ruling party win elections.
The protest march and the subsequent detention of the MPs has sparked a political storm in the country, with the opposition parties accusing the government of suppressing dissent and using force to silence their voices. The government, on the other hand, has defended the police action, claiming that the MPs were attempting to disrupt the peaceful process of the SIR exercise and that the police had to intervene to maintain law and order.
The incident has also raised questions about the erosion of democratic values in the country and the increasing use of force by the police to quell dissent. As the country approaches the assembly elections in Bihar, the incident has added to the political tensions and has raised concerns about the conduct of the polls.
In conclusion, the detention of Rahul Gandhi and other MPs during the protest march to the EC is a significant political development that highlights the deepening political crisis in the country. The incident has sparked a heated debate about the erosion of democratic values and the increasing use of force by the police to suppress dissent. As the country approaches the assembly elections, the incident has added to the political tensions and has raised concerns about the conduct of the polls.
