The Aam Aadmi Party said it will not join the INDIA bloc's October 6 protest at the Election Commission. Instead, the party continues its own campaign against alleged irregularities in the electoral roll revision. Sanjay Singh said, "We are fighting this battle in our own way," during a recent briefing.
The Aam Aadmi Party on Monday said it will not join the INDIA bloc's protest outside the Election Commission headquarters on October 6 over the row surrounding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The party said it is carrying forward its own protest over the issue.
AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said protests against the alleged irregularities in the SIR exercise are being held every day at different places. He said the party sees this as a people's movement and is not even using its own banner for the campaign.
Speaking at the Parliament House complex, Singh said, "The CJP's protest is also being held, and different organisations are also holding protests. The Left is also protesting in different places. As far as tomorrow's protest is concerned, it is the INDIA bloc's protest. So, the Aam Aadmi Party is not part of it. We are fighting this battle in our own way."
On September 30, after a meeting attended by 19 opposition parties, INDIA bloc leaders announced that all opposition MPs would march to the Election Commission on October 6. They also said leaders would meet the President to raise issues linked to the alleged irregularities in the voter list revision.
The AAP and the DMK did not take part in that meeting. Those present included Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, along with TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti and Left leaders.
Some opposition leaders, including Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and Jharkhand Chief Minister and JMM chief Hemant Soren, joined the meeting virtually. The protest call comes amid a controversy over the alleged irregularities in the functioning of the Election Commission following opposition allegations over the poll panel's handling of the SIR exercise.
An investigation by The Indian Express last month claimed that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had objected on record at least 14 times in the past 10 months to decisions and orders on the SIR, saying they were issued without their knowledge or recommendation. The report said they described specific changes to voter enrolment forms as "unauthorised" and "illegal". The Election Commission has rejected suggestions of a split within the three-member panel and said decisions related to the SIR were taken unanimously.
With the INDIA bloc set to hold its protest on October 6, the AAP has made clear that it will stay away and continue its campaign separately, while the wider opposition keeps up its attack over the alleged irregularities in the voter list revision exercise.