Patna, Oct 10 (IANS) Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) Chief Lalu Prasad Yadav’s daughter Rohini Acharya, and Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) founder Mukesh Sahani have criticised the detention of protesters who gathered at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on Saturday to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.
According to reports, more than 500 protesters were detained during the demonstration.
Those reportedly detained included Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijit Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka, Saurav Das and social media influencer Dhruv Rathee.
In a series of posts on social media platform X, Rohini Acharya criticised the action against the protesters and expressed solidarity with the demonstrators.
“Do not intimidate or threaten; the country has awakened now. The nation’s youth have taken to the streets against dictatorship,” she said.
In another post, Rohini Acharya noted, “Whenever you suppress a voice that speaks the truth, you will find many Dhruv Rathees and Sauravs in every corner of the country.”
Acharya also questioned the reported detention of CJP leaders Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das, Ashutosh Ranka and Dhruv Rathee, alleging that the action reflected growing high-handedness on the part of the Union government.
She raised concerns over reports that some young people travelling to Delhi to participate in the demonstration had been stopped at the airport or prevented from entering the national capital.
Referring to Article 19 of the Constitution, Acharya said that restricting peaceful protesters could infringe upon their fundamental rights.
She condemned the detentions and called for the protesters’ release.
VIP founder and former Bihar Minister Mukesh Sahani also criticised the alleged use of derogatory terms such as “flies” and “cockroaches” to describe young people, raising questions about their rights and the Constitution.
Sahani said such remarks were unfortunate and insulting to democratic values.
He invoked the legacy of freedom fighters, including Jubba Sahani, Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad and Rani Lakshmibai, who fought against injustice and oppression.
He said that young people raising concerns about employment, education, opportunities, rights and constitutional values should be heard rather than humiliated.
“The young men and women who ask questions are the strength of democracy, not ‘flies’ or ‘cockroaches’,” Sahani said, emphasising that those in positions of power should respond respectfully to the concerns of the younger generation.
He added that democracy extends beyond elections and includes citizens’ rights to express their views and question those in power.
He urged the Union government to address the concerns raised by young people rather than suppressing their voices, saying that respectful dialogue was essential to upholding constitutional values and democratic principles.
The criticism from Acharya and Sahani adds to the political reactions surrounding the Jantar Mantar demonstration and the reported detention of protesters demanding the Chief Election Commissioner’s resignation.
–IANS
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