Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Monday said Congress would not back down, asserting that the party was standing with the truth amid its protests against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.
He alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was protecting CEC Kumar, saying the INDIA bloc's march to the Supreme Court would highlight this issue before the country.
Gandhi said the protest against alleged vote theft and the Election Commission had become a public movement in Delhi over the past four to five days.
He said resistance had been ongoing for the past 10 to 13 years but was now taking shape as a larger movement.
Addressing a press conference at AICC HQ in the national capital ahead of the INDIA bloc march to the Supreme Court against CEC Gyanesh Kumar, “We want this, and the government is making a big mistake because we want to show the country that the government, PM Narendra Modi, is protecting Gyanesh Kumar.”
“Chalo Dilli', March for Democracy against vote theft and the Election Commission under Gyanesh Kumar has been a public movement in Delhi for the past four to five days. Resistance has been there for much longer, for 10 to 12 or 13 years, but now it is crystallising. The question is: Why is Delhi jailed?" he said.
"Congress president and I wrote to the CJI, expressing our grave concern about the murder of Indian democracy and election fairness. CJI responded to us and instructed us to file a petition...Today, INDIA bloc leaders and I will go to the Supreme Court together and file this petition," he added.
The Lok Sabha LoP also accused the CEC of facilitatig 'vote-chori' and claimed that the public were supporting their agitation.
"Exactly 50% of the police personnel are telling us that what we are doing is right and we should continue. Police, ITBP, CRPF, the people of India are on one side and Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, Ajit Doval, Gyanesh Kumar, and 4-5 members of the Election Commission who are facilitating 'vote chori' and hijacking the country are on the other side. We are increasing this divide," he said.
Questioning the restrictions in the national capital, he alleged that people were being stopped from reaching Delhi and that the city had been turned into a fortress.
“The question is, why is Delhi, the capital city of India, under siege? People are being stopped from reaching Delhi. Trains and buses are being stopped, and people are being asked to get off. Delhi has been turned into a fortress, with police deployed everywhere, around 20,000 to 30,000 personnel. You might think this is a show of power, but our strategy is different,” he said.
The Congress MP called for the "Challo Dilli" protest march from Connaught Place to the Supreme Court against the functioning of the Election Commission.
High Security is in place in Central Delhi, security has been tightened with barricades at multiple locations, and entry and exit at certain metro stations will remain closed from till 4:00 PM on October 12, for security reasons. Security personnel have been deployed at Barakhamba Road, near Mandi House. RAF (Rapid Action Force) and CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) personnel are also deployed along with Delhi Police personnel.
(More to come)