NCP MLA Rohit Pawar asked protesters unable to reach Delhi on Saturday to join his Pune rally instead. Trains got cancelled as Delhi Police denied permission for the CJP protest. Pawar said, "Consider this satyagraha of MPSC students in Pune as Delhi itself," urging citizens to join the movement there.
With trains cancelled and restrictions in place in Delhi ahead of the Cockroach Janata Party's (CJP) protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Saturday, NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar on Friday asked those unable to reach the capital to join the students' protest he is leading in Pune instead.
The Ministry of Railways has cancelled mail and express trains due to arrive at New Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin stations between 4 am and 2 pm on October 10, calling it a precautionary measure against heavy road traffic near the stations. Two Rajdhani trains from Mumbai Central have been rescheduled by five hours, and the Bandra Terminus-Hazrat Nizamuddin express has been cancelled. Delhi Police has denied permission for the Jantar Mantar protest, and prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the BNSS are in force in New Delhi district.
"Let's go to Pune! Even if Delhi is far away, the fight is right at our doorstep! Lakhs of youth and citizens from across the country have set off for the protest being held tomorrow in Delhi against the dictatorship of the Election Commission. However, scared of this public outrage, the government has cancelled the trains heading to Delhi! Though a fearful government has placed a ban on our travel, they cannot ban our thoughts. Because of this, thousands of citizens from Maharashtra, including Pune, have been stranded," Pawar said.
He said the fight would not stop. "For the past 9 days in Pune, MPSC students have been leading a historic satyagraha against this insensitive government and the MPSC chairperson for their just demands. Therefore, I make a heartfelt appeal to all citizens and today's revolutionaries who could not go to the Delhi protest: no matter which field you belong to, consider this satyagraha of MPSC students in Pune as 'Delhi' itself for the next two days -- tomorrow, Saturday (10th), and the day after, Sunday (11th) -- and step into the movement with full force," he said.
Calling it a fight to save democracy and the Constitution, not just the students' fight, Pawar said, "Through our impenetrable unity, we will not rest until we force this thick-skinned system to yield."
Pawar and other Opposition leaders have been protesting in Pune with Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) aspirants over alleged malpractices in government recruitment exams, demanding the removal of MPSC chairman Vivek Bhimanwar. The state government has said that as it is a constitutional post, it can only recommend Bhimanwar's removal to the Governor and cannot take the decision itself.
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