Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were detained by Delhi Police on Wednesday after Opposition MPs were stopped from reaching Jantar Mantar for a protest demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, marking the second consecutive day of confrontations between the INDIA bloc and police in central Delhi.
Rahul was taken to Barakhamba Road police station following his detention, while Priyanka was taken separately to a detention facility at Chhatrasal Stadium, according to Congress leaders. Several other Opposition MPs and party workers were also detained after they staged a sit-in when police prevented their buses from proceeding towards Jantar Mantar.
‘Will lay down lives’
Speaking after being detained, Rahul said the Opposition would continue its campaign in defence of the Constitution and would not be deterred by police action or criminal cases.
“We will lay down our lives for the Constitution, but we will not allow democracy to be destroyed,” Rahul said, according to the Congress. He reiterated that the protests would continue until Kumar resigned.
Earlier in the day, Rahul said the Opposition did not intend to abandon its agitation after Tuesday’s confrontation. “We are not going to stop protesting till Gyanesh Kumar resigns,” he said, accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah of undermining democracy.
The allegations against the Prime Minister, Home Minister and Chief Election Commissioner are political claims made by the Opposition. The Election Commission and the BJP have denied allegations of electoral manipulation or wrongdoing.
Stopped before Jantar Mantar
The confrontation began after Opposition MPs attended a lunch hosted by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge at a restaurant in central Delhi. The leaders subsequently boarded buses intending to travel to Jantar Mantar, the designated protest site.
Police stopped the buses near the roundabout close to the Shangri-La hotel, following which Rahul, Priyanka and other Opposition leaders got down and staged a sit-in on the road.
Priyanka, carrying a copy of the Constitution, was seen lying on the road with other women leaders as police personnel surrounded the protesters. Rahul was subsequently physically lifted by security personnel and taken to a police bus.
Congress leaders Amarinder Singh Raja Warring and Udai Bhanu Chib climbed on top of the bus carrying Rahul, while Mumtaz Patel sat on its bonnet. Women police personnel later removed Priyanka and other women protesters and put them into separate vehicles.
‘Every FIR a medal’
Before the protest, Rahul referred to the criminal cases registered against him and said they would not deter him from continuing the agitation.
“I have 45 FIRs against me. My target is that there should be 100 FIRs against me. Every FIR against me is a medal for me,” he said.
Rahul said Opposition MPs had decided to go to Jantar Mantar after being prevented from meeting Election Commission officials during Tuesday’s demonstration.
He said around 300 MPs had wanted to meet the Election Commissioners and maintained that Opposition parties would continue demanding Kumar’s resignation.
Second day of detentions
Wednesday’s police action came a day after Rahul, Priyanka and several other INDIA bloc leaders were detained following a prolonged protest at the Akashvani Bhawan complex.
On Tuesday, Opposition MPs had set out from Parliament intending to march towards the Election Commission headquarters. Police stopped the march amid heavy barricading, resulting in several leaders being detained.
Rahul and Priyanka later entered the Akashvani Bhawan complex along with Congress leaders and supporters and staged a sit-in there for more than eight hours after they were prevented from proceeding to the Election Commission office.
Police eventually removed the protesters from the premises on Tuesday evening. Rahul, Priyanka and other leaders were detained and later released.
Akashvani case registered
Delhi Police subsequently registered a case in connection with the entry of Rahul, Priyanka and other protesters into the Akashvani Bhawan premises without permission.
Police said Rahul, Priyanka, K C Venugopal, Pawan Khera, Manish Chhatrath and around 50 to 60 supporters had entered the complex without authorisation and refused to leave despite being asked to do so.
According to police, approximately 260 people were detained during Tuesday’s protest. The police maintained that action was taken to preserve law and order and prevent the situation from escalating.
The Congress has disputed the police handling of the demonstrations and accused authorities of preventing elected representatives from exercising their right to protest.
Row over voter rolls
The demonstrations are part of an Opposition campaign against the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls and the functioning of the Election Commission under Kumar.
Congress and other Opposition parties have alleged irregularities in the revision process and accused the poll body of acting in favour of the ruling BJP. They have demanded Kumar’s resignation and changes to the SIR exercise.
The Election Commission and the BJP have rejected accusations of manipulation. The allegations against Kumar have not been established by a court or other adjudicatory authority.
The controversy has intensified following reports of disagreements within the Election Commission over aspects of the electoral-roll revision, with the Opposition using those reports to question the poll body’s functioning.
Protests set to continue
Wednesday’s demonstration also came ahead of the Cockroach Janta Party’s proposed October 10 protest in the Capital over the same electoral-roll controversy.
Delhi Police have substantially increased security around Jantar Mantar and other parts of New Delhi district ahead of that mobilisation, with thousands of personnel expected to remain deployed and entry routes being closely monitored.
For the INDIA bloc, meanwhile, the second consecutive day of detentions signalled that its confrontation with the Election Commission and the Centre over the voter-roll revision is set to continue. Rahul said neither police action nor fresh cases would stop the campaign, maintaining that the Opposition would continue protesting until its demands were addressed.