At Rahul tea party, INDIA's resolve to intensify stir, anger at protest zone denotification

INDIA leaders, student politicians and civil society protesters address the joint news conference in New Delhi on Tuesday.  PTI

Lok Sabha Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi hosted a tea party at his Sunehri Bagh residence on Tuesday for INDIA bloc leaders as well as members of civil society groups and students' outfits who have together spearheaded protests focused on removing chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Some of those who attended the meeting told The Telegraph that many called for a de-escalation of protests in the capital during the festive season so as not to alienate the public. There were also discussions on ways and means to retrieve Jantar Mantar Road as a protest site after the government denotified it on Monday.

Rahul told reporters after the meeting: "We have immense respect for the Supreme Court, for the Chief Justice of India, and for India's judicial system. They have a role to play. We hope they will play that role, but we are also political people, and no matter what happens -- no matter which institution plays a role or does not play a role -- political resistance will continue. People's resistance will continue, and it will triumph."

After the meeting, G. Devarajan, secretary-general of the Forward Bloc, told this newspaper: "There was a sentiment expressed that we should all take the struggle to other parts of India as well. For now, no plans were discussed for protests in Delhi."

Congress MP Dharamvira Gandhi told this paper: "Look, it is Navratri time. The public has supported us as we are taking up an issue that has affected everyone. But if there are traffic jams which the government will blame on us at this time, there was talk at the meeting that it could affect the overwhelming support we have got."

Dharamvira Gandhi said: "Some expressed the view that let's continue intense agitations in the states for now, and in Delhi let's see how the Supreme Court responds to our petition."

CPIML-Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya told this paper: "There is no question of weakening the agitation.... We cannot let Jantar Mantar go. We are all continuing our protests in Delhi and other parts of India."

AISA president Neha Bora, SFI joint secretary Aishe Ghosh and activists Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav were also present at the meeting. Leaders from all INDIA parties were in attendance.

Neha said at the media briefing: "They (BJP) might be willing to compromise democracy and the values the Constitution stands for -- after all, they played no role in making India a democracy or in shaping the Constitution -- but the common people of this country, who fought and sacrificed their lives for this democracy and this Constitution, are not ready to settle for a stolen mandate or a compromised democracy."

In the photographs released by the Congress, all were group photos except one solo photo each of Rahul and Neha.

Neha told the media: "And that is why it is wonderful that all the Opposition parties are united. We, as students and the youth of this country, are united as well. And we know that in the coming few years -- in the coming few months -- our fight, our battle, is going to be solely against the BJP."

CPI general secretary D. Raja said at the media conference: "Jantar Mantar should remain a designated site for protests by the people. Previously, we used to hold protests at Rajpath -- that was banned; earlier, we used to hold protests near Parliament -- that was banned; now Jantar Mantar -- so where do they want the people of the national capital to go? We strongly condemn the de-notification of Jantar Mantar. We will fight to reclaim Jantar Mantar as a protest site for the people."

Trinamool MP Sagarika Ghose said, "As long as the Gyanesh Kumar-led Election Commission continues, there will be no free and fair polls in India. Therefore, we stand completely united with all the leaders and parties of the INDIA alliance, and we will not stop until Mr Gyanesh Kumar is removed and criminal proceedings are initiated -- not just against Mr Gyanesh Kumar, but against all the Election Commission officials who supervised elections in Haryana, Maharashtra, Bengal and Bihar."

Congress chief ministers D.K. Shivakumar of Karnataka, Sukhvinder Sukhu of Himachal Pradesh and A. Revanth Reddy of Telangana were also present, as were several Congress state chiefs and MLAs from different parts of India.

Shah anger

In his first remarks on the ongoing protests for Gyanesh's resignation and the scrapping of the SIR, home minister Amit Shah on Tuesday lashed out at the Opposition, and Rahul in particular, saying they should be prepared once again for a "crushing defeat" in 2029 "as the people of the country are with the BJP, NDA and Prime Minister Narendra Modi".

Shah said the Congress's "negative politics" would not benefit it as it needed to connect with the public and cited the party's dismal performance in the recent bypolls and local body elections in several states.

"Ever since you became the principal leader of the Congress, and later its president, and now the leader of the Opposition, the Congress party has continuously lost elections," he said, referring to Rahul.

"You need to engage in introspection. You cannot win the trust of the country's people through fabricated media events and echoes of lies," Shah said. "I want to ask Shri Rahul Gandhiji directly: Is this (electoral losses) the result of the SIR? The SIR started only after 2024."