After a week of high-octane protests that included five major marches in different parts of the city, the Congress leadership might take some time to launch the next round of demonstrations for the ouster of chief election commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.
The party leadership has informed the INDIA allies that another march or demonstration is unlikely to take place on Tuesday. But the Congress’s frontal organisations, especially the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) or the student body National Students Union of India (NSUI), might carry on their own protests.
On October 6, the Congress-led INDIA bloc began its intensive protests with a march from Parliament to the Election Commission, but the march was stopped midway near Akashvani Bhavan—less than 300 meters from the poll body’s headquarters.
The next day, the lawmakers tried to march from Janpath to Jantar Mantar, but the Delhi police stopped them at the busy intersection of Raisina Road and Ashoka Road, and the leaders were detained. The INDIA bloc led a march to the Rajghat on last Thursday, followed by a march from Parliament to the Rashtrapati Bhavan to submit a memorandum to President Droupadi Murmu.
The Opposition on Monday took out arguably the biggest political march in recent times to the Supreme Court complex and filed a fresh petition against the vote chori (vote theft), as the protest against CEC Gyanesh Kumar intensified and spilled over to the second week, with the leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, announcing that the demonstration will continue to save the Constitution.
No demonstrations on Tuesday?
On Monday evening, the Congress leaders called their allies to inform them that no such demonstrations had been proposed for Tuesday.
“I got a call from Congress. They believe that after the successful march to the Supreme Court and filing of a petition, there is no need for another march or demonstrations on Tuesday,” CPIM general secretary MA Baby told HT.
Trinamool Congress’s (Mamata faction) Rajya Sabha floor leader Derek O’Brien said that with the festive season round the corner, starting with the Durga Puja, the Opposition parties might have to chalk out their own plans.
“Former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee had to return to Kolkata and could not take part in the march. She was in the meeting of the Opposition at the Constitution Club. Now, we have our priorities in West Bengal. We might not be able to come to Delhi during the Puja week. So, if the Congress or any other party makes a protest plan, they have to do it on their own,” O’Brien said.
On Tuesday, the Congress has called a press conference by the party’s Rajya Sabha MP and senior lawyer Abhishek Singhvi, who will argue on the petition filed by 11 Opposition leaders, including Leaders of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge.
“The press conference will set the next political agenda,” said a senior Congress leader.
To be sure, both Rahul Gandhi and the Congress’s general secretary (organisation), KC Venugopal, have announced that the agitations will continue.
In a late evening tweet, Gandhi thanked all those who marched on Monday and said, “Today was a very important day because we needed to show the government that the people of India are not going to be intimidated. You cannot beat us, threaten us, frighten us. We will not accept being bullied. I was wondering where the cowards of the RSS who were beating the young children the day before yesterday were. Where were those people? Because I didn’t see them.”
“When we are standing there and when the people of India are standing there, why don’t you come out? Why don’t you wear your little scarves and come out and see what happens? Because you’re essentially, like the Prime Minister of India, bullies. You cannot stand up. You can only use power to fight,” he added.