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 staging a protest march from Parliament to the Election Commission against the alleged voter theft in Bihar.
The protest march was called in response to the ongoing Special Incentive Scheme (SIR) exercise in Bihar, which opposition parties have been criticizing for allegedly leading to voter suppression and theft. The MPs, who were part of the protest, were detained by police near the Parliament House complex.
Rahul Gandhi, the Congress leader, was seen being dragged away by police personnel as he tried to resist arrest. Priyanka Gandhi, his sister and Congress General Secretary, was also detained along with him.
Sanjay Raut, the leader of Shiv Sena (UBT), was seen trying to break through the police barricade to join the protest. He was eventually detained and taken away by police.
Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, who was also part of the protest, jumped over a barricade to join the march. He was seen running alongside the protesters as they made their way towards the Election Commission office.
The protest was largely peaceful, with protesters chanting slogans and holding placards demanding transparency in the SIR exercise. The police, however, used force to disperse the crowd, leading to scuffles and minor injuries.
The SIR exercise, which aims to identify and disenfranchise voters who are no longer eligible to vote, has been criticized by opposition parties for being opaque and prone to manipulation. The parties have alleged that the exercise is being used to target voters who are likely to vote against the ruling party.
Rahul Gandhi, in a tweet, condemned the police action and accused the government of trying to suppress the voices of the opposition. “The police is trying to silence the voice of the opposition. We will not be deterred from fighting for democracy and the rights of the people,” he said.
Priyanka Gandhi also took to Twitter to express her outrage at the police action. “The police is trying to intimidate us, but we will not be silenced. We will continue to fight for the rights of the people and against the corrupt system,” she said.
The protest march comes at a time when the opposition is already under pressure from the government over the SIR exercise. The government has accused the opposition of playing politics over a legitimate exercise aimed at ensuring the integrity of the electoral process.
However, the opposition has accused the government of trying to manipulate the electoral process to its advantage. The SIR exercise, they say, is a clear example of the government’s attempts to undermine democracy.
The opposition has also accused the Election Commission of being complicit in the government’s plans to manipulate the electoral process. They have demanded that the EC take immediate action to stop the SIR exercise and ensure that the rights of voters are protected.
The protest march is seen as a major show of strength by the opposition against the government and the Election Commission. It remains to be seen how the government and the EC will respond to the protest and whether they will take any steps to address the concerns of the opposition.
