Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge leave Rajghat after Opposition's sit-in protest

Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra left Rajghat after paying tribute, amid the Opposition's ongoing protest against the Election Commission and alleged electoral irregularities. Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Pradeep Bhandari on Thursday hit out at Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi as the INDIA bloc staged protests in the national capital, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. Taking a swipe at Gandhi, Bhandari questioned whether the Congress leader was showing a lack of faith in the Supreme Court by holding protests on the streets. "Is Rahul Gandhi demonstrating a lack of faith in the Supreme Court by staging chaotic protests on the streets?" Bhandari asked. He further questioned whether Gandhi was trying to build a public narrative around a case that is currently before the top court. "Does he fear that the case currently before the Supreme Court is so weak on the facts that he feels compelled to manufacture a specific public narrative?" Bhandari said. The BJP leader also accused Gandhi of attempting to put pressure on the constitutional system through street protests. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday announced that the INDIA bloc MPs will stage a peaceful sit-in protest against CEC Gyanesh Kumar at Gandhi Smarak in Delhi amid the ongoing row over the alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Today marked the third consecutive day of protest by the opposition MPs after they staged a march to Nirvachan Sadan on Tuesday and protested near Jantar Mantar on Wednesday. The MPs boarded the bus to move towards the Raj Ghat. Speaking to reporters, Kharge said, "We, the members of the INDIA alliance, are heading to the Gandhi Memorial to stage a peaceful sit-in protest. We will sit there and pray that the BJP government, specifically PM Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, be granted the wisdom to realise that their actions are not in the nation's interest. Whether it is the issue of vote theft, the rising inflation, the problems facing the youth, or any other crisis they have created, everything goes against the public interest."