INDIA Bloc Tries To Head To Jantar Mantar For Protest, Road Blockades Stop Them

Opposition MPs head to Jantar Mantar. Cops block the routes

After a strategy lunch at a central Delhi restaurant, Opposition INDIA bloc MPs on Wednesday headed for Jantar Mantar to continue their protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

After a day of high drama in the Capital that saw a dharna by Rahul Gandhi and later detentions, the Opposition INDIA bloc assembled at Sagar Ratna restaurant on Delhi's Janpath on the invitation of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge to give shape to their next steps as part of efforts to up the ante over the "vote chori" issue and push for the demand for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation.

Alleging that democracy is being destroyed, Kharge said that the Opposition will take the issue of "vote chori" to the people. He said that the Opposition will protest at Jantar Mantar.

Buses were parked outside the Sagar Ratna restaurant at Janpath and the MPs boarded them after the lunch and headed towards Jantar Mantar. The police had barricaded all routes towards Jantar Mantar. The buses carrying the Opposition MPs were stopped by the police on way to Jantar Mantar.

"As I said yesterday, approximately 300 MPs wanted to meet the Chief Election Commissioner, but they told that we could not hold a protest there. So, today, our plan is to go to the designated protest site, Jantar Mantar, and sit there together once again, and tell the country that, for us, Gyanesh Kumar is not the legitimate Election Commissioner of the country. Modi Ji, Amit Shah Ji, Mohan Bhagwat, and Gyanesh Kumar have destroyed the democracy of the country," Rahul Gandhi said after the lunch.

Making light of the FIR against him over the dharna on Tuesday, Gandhi said that he wants a 100 FIRs filed against him. "There are 45 FIRs against me. My goal is 100," he said.

Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi were booked on Wednesday for entering Akashvani Bhavan without permission and staging a six-hour-long sit-in protest on the premises on Tuesday.

The lunch meeting came a day after Rahul Gandhi took centre stage at the Opposition's street protest, forcing a total lockdown of Parliament Street as he led an over eight-hour sit-in that ended with his forcible detention after Opposition MPs were stopped from marching towards the Election Commission's office nearby.

The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and others were released after 10 pm after about two hours in detention.While most Opposition MPs were detained and prevented from moving forward, Rahul Gandhi along with other Congress MPs, including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, entered the Akashvani Bhawan premises, barely 200 metres from the EC office, insisting that they be allowed to meet the Election Commissioners. Their sit-in, which began around noon, ended after 8 pm, when a large number of police personnel forcibly removed Gandhi from the premises and pushed him and others into police vans and buses, as the MPs resisted.

As the INDIA bloc MPs started arriving at the central Delhi restaurant, massive security deployment was seen at the Election Commission. All major routes leading to the Election Commission were closed in anticipation of the ongoing protest by the Opposition. Security was also increased at Akashvani Bhawan, where Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and a host of Opposition MPs sat on a dharna after being stopped from marching to the poll panel office.

Reacting to the FIRs against Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi, Congress MPs said that they are not scared.

"We don't care about the FIRs against Gandhi. There are hundreds lodged everywhere in the country," said Congress Organisation Secretary K C Venugopal, who was at the dharna with the Gandhis.

"We are here for lunch, protests will continue. We strongly condemn how the LoP was dragged like a criminal. We don't worry about any FIR," said Congress MP Jothimani.

Got a follow‑up question on this article? Go on

How may i help you today

Show full article

Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world