Bhopal, Oct 7 (IANS) The Madhya Pradesh unit of the Congress on Tuesday staged a protest outside the Election Commission’s office here against the detention of Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra during an opposition demonstration in New Delhi.
State Congress president Jitu Patwari and Leader of Opposition in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly Umang Singhar led the protest, which was joined by MLAs, party office-bearers and a large number of workers.
Former Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh and several other senior Congress leaders later joined the sit-in at the Election Commission’s office. Congress workers raised slogans against the Election Commission and burnt an effigy of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar during the demonstration. Patwari said the protest was aimed at defending democratic rights, the impartiality of constitutional institutions and the right of people to vote. “In a democracy, the voice of a public representative cannot be suppressed. Asking questions and demanding answers is a democratic right,” Patwari said in a post on X.
State LoP Umnag Singhar said the Congress had organised the demonstration against the detention of Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra by the Delhi Police.
The Bhopal protest followed a demonstration by opposition MPs in New Delhi over the Congress’ allegations of irregularities in electoral rolls.
Rahul Gandhi and other INDIA bloc leaders had marched towards the Election Commission but were stopped by police near Akashvani Bhawan. The opposition leaders subsequently staged a sit-in at the spot. After several hours, Delhi Police detained Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and several other opposition leaders as the protest was cleared. Later, they were released.
The Congress has been demanding action over its allegations concerning the electoral rolls and has sought greater transparency from the Election Commission.
The confrontation has emerged as a major political issue between the Congress and the BJP, with the opposition party stepping up protests against the Election Commission and the BJP accusing it of making unsubstantiated allegations against an independent constitutional body.
–IANS
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