‘INDIA’ Bloc Holds Fierce Protest Outside Election Commission
The Election Commission premises in the capital New Delhi turned into a battleground amid allegations of partisan conduct and a breach of neutrality by the Election Commission of India. Top leaders of the opposition ‘INDIA’ bloc staged an unprecedented sit-in and protest outside the Election Commission headquarters, accusing it of giving undue advantage to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and obstructing the democratic rights of opposition parties.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi issued a strong warning from the protest site, saying, “No one will be spared for acts aimed at destroying democracy, not Mr. Modi, Mr. Shah or Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.” During the protest, Delhi Police forcibly detained top opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.
According to eyewitnesses and Indian media reports, opposition lawmakers and senior leaders marched towards the Election Commission office to protest vote counting, the commission’s alleged one-sided role and its controversial decisions. When police blocked their way with barricades, the leaders sat in a sit-in on the road. At one point, intense pushing and scuffling broke out between security personnel and opposition activists. As the situation escalated, police detained Rahul Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav and Abhishek Banerjee one after another, placing them in prison vans and taking them to an undisclosed location.
Before his detention, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi told reporters that India’s constitutional institutions had been completely captured and turned into “puppets” under the direction of Narendra Modi and Amit Shah. Strongly criticising Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar for his alleged partisan conduct, he said the people of the country would not accept this alleged electoral fraud and injustice, and that everyone involved would have to answer before the people.
Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav and Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee alleged that the BJP government was setting a disgraceful precedent by using the police and the commission to silence opposition leaders instead of ensuring free elections.
The intense protest by the opposition bloc and the simultaneous detention of senior leaders have heightened political tensions across India. Although security has been tightened across the capital, opposition parties have warned of strong nationwide protests. According to observers, the opposition’s direct mobilisation against the Election Commission has put the institutional credibility of the Modi government under serious scrutiny at both the national and international levels.
Source: Times of India
