INDIA bloc MPs will meet at the Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan at 3 pm on Friday to plan further protests. The opposition group may march to the residences of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah. They continue to raise concerns about alleged vote chori and electoral roll issues.
INDIA bloc MPs will meet at the Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan at 3 pm on Friday and may proceed for another protest against alleged "vote chori", sources said. The opposition bloc has also sought an appointment with President Droupadi Murmu and is awaiting a response. If no meeting is granted, "all options are on the table", sources said.
Seva Teerth, Rashtrapati Bhavan, the Vice-President's residence, and the residences of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah are among the possible venues for the next round of protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, the sources added. The protest, if held, would mark the fourth consecutive day of the opposition's agitation.
On Thursday, Congress general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal said the INDIA bloc had requested an appointment with President Murmu and was awaiting a response from Rashtrapati Bhavan. He said the first letter seeking a meeting was sent on October 2, after which the President's office asked for the names of the leaders who would attend.
"We submitted the request again on October 5, along with the names, seeking an appointment on October 7, 8 or 9," Venugopal had said, adding that the bloc had received no response so far and would wait until Friday.
The opposition's latest move comes amid a sustained campaign against the CEC and the alleged manipulation of voter rolls. On Thursday, INDIA bloc leaders staged a sit-in at Mahatma Gandhi's memorial at Rajghat, accusing Prime Minister Modi, Home Minister Shah and the CEC of "hijacking" the country through a criminal conspiracy involving vote chori.
The Rajghat protest was the third consecutive day of demonstrations, with opposition leaders vowing to continue their agitation until Kumar resigns. Earlier, several leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, were detained and forcibly removed by police during two days of protests. On Thursday, the leaders gathered at Rajghat to pay floral tributes and pray for "wisdom to the BJP government and the chief election commissioner".
Last week, the INDIA bloc finalised a joint action plan on the SIR issue, which included rallies and "Save Democracy" marches.
The opposition has stepped up its campaign following a report by The Indian Express that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded objections at least 14 times over the past 10 months, largely over decisions and orders related to the SIR of electoral rolls.
Responding to the report, the Election Commission said differences of opinion and observations were a normal part of deliberations in any institution. It maintained that all its orders had full legal sanction and followed established statutory procedures.