New Delhi: The INDIA bloc’s march to the Election Commission (EC) in Delhi was planned as a joint Opposition show. By the end of Tuesday (October 6), the protest had turned into a source of irritation for several allies, who felt the Congress took decisions on the ground without keeping them informed.
Earlier reporting noted: INDIA Bloc Protest LIVE Updates: Opposition Back On Streets To Protest Against Poll Body Chief INDIA Bloc Protest LIVE Updates: A day after opposition leaders were stopped near the Election Commission office in Delhi, the INDIA bloc is taking to the streets again with a fresh march at Jantar Mantar today. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said, “All INDIA alliance partners will protest against Gyanesh Kumar at Jantar Mantar today. The police locked the gate, after which the Gandhi siblings and other Congress leaders began the sit-in. Congress leaders later reached out to the alliance partners. During the Monsoon Session of Parliament, allies were not informed in advance about Rahul’s plan to stage a protest outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence. The demonstration followed the Congress’s demand for the resignation of then Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged paper leaks.
Thy called INDIA bloc parties around 7 pm and asked them to join the protest, according to The New Indian Express. Several leaders reached Akashvani Bhavan by around 7.40 pm. Earlier reporting noted: On Tuesday, Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, and other Congress MPs, including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, entered the Akashvani Bhawan premises, barely 200 metres from the poll body office, and asked to be allowed to meet the Election Commissioners.
The Congress described the decision as “impromptu”. Rahul had planned to enter the complex and leave through a back gate, which faces the EC office, according to Congress sources, as cited by the IE. Another Opposition MP said, according to The New Indian Express, other parties had not been informed about the Congress leadership’s next move. Earlier reporting noted: The meeting was hosted by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge to strategise their next steps as the opposition ramps up its offensive over the “vote chori” allegation and continues to press for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
“How could we have predicted this? And the MPs of other parties could have come back, and some of them did. Congress General Secretary (organisation) Venugopal also reached out to INDIA bloc partners after the protest.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge is hosting INDIA bloc MPs for lunch at Sagar Ratna in Janpath on Wednesday (October 7). The meeting is scheduled for 1.30 pm.
Congress leaders defended the decision and said the sit-in had not been planned in advance. “The Congress leaders did not know about the protest, so the allies also did not know,” a Congress leader said. Another defended the action as “spontaneous”. The Congress has ensured all allies feel included,” the leader said. Sources said he told allies that the Congress leadership had “acted in the moment” and expressed regret over the “mistrust” caused by the lack of consultation.
