Police stop INDIA bloc buses on Ashoka Road as the Opposition pushes on with its campaign for CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s removal
New Delhi, October 7: For the second day running, Delhi Police detained Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday. This time, three buses carrying INDIA bloc MPs were stopped on Ashoka Road as they headed to Jantar Mantar to protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Gandhi was taken to Barakhamba police station and released later in the evening after a prolonged standoff.
The march followed a lunch meeting at a Janpath restaurant hosted by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. There, Opposition parties also discussed a draft letter to the CEC. Ahead of the protest, police imposed restrictions under Section 163 of the BNS at Jantar Mantar and called in additional central armed police forces.
When the buses were halted, leaders stepped onto the road. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra lay down on Ashoka Road holding a copy of the Constitution, and women police personnel removed her. Congress MP Shafi Parambil scuffled with officers. TMC MP Mahua Moitra alleged that workers had been lathi-charged. In a lighter moment, Rahul Gandhi handed water bottles to police personnel from the detention bus, telling them they were only doing their job.
Brushing aside Wednesday morning’s FIR over the Akashvani Bhavan sit-in, Gandhi said every FIR was “a medal” for him. He vowed that protests would continue until Kumar resigns, and accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah of attacking the Constitution. KC Venugopal and Gaurav Gogoi also promised further agitation.
There were signs of strain within the bloc, however. The DMK criticised Gandhi for staying silent on voter deletions in Tamil Nadu. Jairam Ramesh acknowledged that some parties had missed the lunch because their invitations arrived late.
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