Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said the Opposition would continue its protest at Akashvani Bhavan after INDIA Bloc MPs were stopped from reaching the Election Commission of India (ECI) headquarters in New Delhi.
“We don’t have any problem with protesting here… We will continue our protests here… If they (Delhi Police) are uncomfortable with us protesting here, they can provide us with another place to protest… Police later detained Congress cadres who had entered the Akashvani Bhavan premises. An officer also directed Indian Youth Congress and NSUI workers gathered outside the building to leave, saying the assembly was illegal. The officer warned that those refusing to comply would be detained. The workers were subsequently taken away in a police bus. Gandhi also criticised the Election Commission and the police for preventing Opposition MPs from meeting commission officials.
The march was halted by barricades put up by the police, following which the MPs staged a sit-in at the nearby Akashvani complex, around 100 metres from the poll panel’s office. Prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) were in force in the area following the march. The issue came up in the Supreme Court on Monday, when the court said it had not approved any modified version of Form 6 for the enrolment of new voters during the SIR exercise.
Gandhi said the Opposition had no objection to protesting inside the Akashvani Bhavan premises, but asked the Delhi Police to provide an alternative venue if it was “uncomfortable” with the demonstration. The Constitution allows us to lodge a protest,” Gandhi told reporters at Akashvani Bhavan.
Earlier in the day, INDIA Bloc MPs marched towards Nirvachan Sadan, the ECI headquarters, to raise concerns over the electoral roll revision process.
