Opposition Marches on India’s Top Court Over Voter Roll Row
(MENAFN) Indian opposition leaders marched on the Supreme Court in Delhi on Monday, escalating a wave of protests over alleged mass deletions of voters from electoral rolls.
The capital has seen large demonstrations since last week. They followed a report last month that two election commissioners had raised concerns with Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over decisions on revising voter lists in several states and federal territories. Protesters are demanding that Kumar resign.
The opposition claims the revisions have stripped a large number of people of their votes. The Election Commission of India rejects that, saying all its actions “have been in accordance with laws and instructions of the Commission.”
Over the weekend, security forces briefly detained several thousand young people and blocked a march to Jantar Mantar, the capital’s designated protest site, called by the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP). Police also detained several senior opposition figures, including former chief ministers. Despite a deployment of thousands of security personnel, young people and student groups still staged flash marches.
On Monday afternoon, opposition leaders and a large crowd of demonstrators set out for the Supreme Court, demanding an end to alleged “voter theft.”
Earlier in the day, Rahul Gandhi of the main opposition Congress party said, “It is a fight to save the Constitution.” The party also announced it would petition the Supreme Court over the issue.
“We have to fight this battle every day, we must not stop, we must not retreat. We will be stopped every day, but we must stay firm and not get tired,” he said during a news briefing.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) hit back. Last week it accused the opposition and “foreign powers” of seeking to “destabilize the country,” and on Monday it charged that Congress “is attacking constitutional institutions for the sake of the chair.”
“It cannot win the hearts of the people, so the frustrated Congress now wants the chair by defaming constitutional institutions, spreading anarchy and riots on the streets, lying, and misleading,” Indian Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan told reporters.
Also on Monday, Delhi Police declared that Jantar Mantar, long the central Delhi site for such demonstrations, is no longer an official protest venue. Police said they have identified three new locations.
The capital has seen large demonstrations since last week. They followed a report last month that two election commissioners had raised concerns with Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over decisions on revising voter lists in several states and federal territories. Protesters are demanding that Kumar resign.
The opposition claims the revisions have stripped a large number of people of their votes. The Election Commission of India rejects that, saying all its actions “have been in accordance with laws and instructions of the Commission.”
Over the weekend, security forces briefly detained several thousand young people and blocked a march to Jantar Mantar, the capital’s designated protest site, called by the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP). Police also detained several senior opposition figures, including former chief ministers. Despite a deployment of thousands of security personnel, young people and student groups still staged flash marches.
On Monday afternoon, opposition leaders and a large crowd of demonstrators set out for the Supreme Court, demanding an end to alleged “voter theft.”
Earlier in the day, Rahul Gandhi of the main opposition Congress party said, “It is a fight to save the Constitution.” The party also announced it would petition the Supreme Court over the issue.
“We have to fight this battle every day, we must not stop, we must not retreat. We will be stopped every day, but we must stay firm and not get tired,” he said during a news briefing.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) hit back. Last week it accused the opposition and “foreign powers” of seeking to “destabilize the country,” and on Monday it charged that Congress “is attacking constitutional institutions for the sake of the chair.”
“It cannot win the hearts of the people, so the frustrated Congress now wants the chair by defaming constitutional institutions, spreading anarchy and riots on the streets, lying, and misleading,” Indian Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan told reporters.
Also on Monday, Delhi Police declared that Jantar Mantar, long the central Delhi site for such demonstrations, is no longer an official protest venue. Police said they have identified three new locations.
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