As the top leadership of the INDIA bloc on Monday climbed onto a Tricolour-decked open truck to lead the Opposition’s march to the Supreme Court, a small group of student leaders from across the political spectrum accompanied them.
It was a new spectacle. Last week, the marches by opposition MPs were backed by enthusiastic supporters, primarily drawing from the Congress’ frontal bodies.
But on Monday, students and lawmakers finally brought down the invisible wall between their protests. SFI’s national joint secretary Aishe Ghosh rubbed shoulders with NSUI’s Jannat Bishnoi, who is an executive councillor (EC) of the Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU).
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Neha Bora, president of AISA – the students’ front of CPIML – and one of the top student leaders were also invited on the truck. Her party colleague and former Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union president N Sai Balaji also shared the platform.
“This was a welcome change,” CPIM general secretary MA Baby told HT. “Students were at the forefront of the protests. This was an acknowledgement of their contribution and also a message that the protestors are united.”
A senior Congress leader said it was a calculated move to bring the students on board as it widens the opposition base in the protest against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. The protesters are seeking Kumar’s resignation over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls.
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At a press conference, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi compared the protests with “Shiva tandava”. He said all the ongoing protests are one and did not acknowledge the efforts of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).
“All protests are one protest. There are no parallel protests. We don’t care who you are,” he said, as he dubbed the CJP’s efforts as “students tried to protest.”
In a significant gesture, NSUI leader Jannat Bisnoi stood at the front during the rally while Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra stepped back. Bora and Priyanka later walked hand in hand during the march with Gandhi walking behind them.
These powerful visuals, according to a second Congress leader, also suggest an attempt to sideline the CJP. The Congress has always been skeptical of the new outfit and dubbed it as a front of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
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In July, the CJP had played a key role in forcing then education minister Dharmendra Pradhan to resign amid protests over the NEET-UG paper leak but Gandhi and the Congress establishment gave full credit to the students for the success.
The Opposition on Monday took out what is arguably the biggest political march in recent times, went inside the Supreme Court complex and filed a fresh petition against the “vote chori”, as the protest against Kumar intensified and spilled over to the second week. Gandhi announced demonstrations will continue to “save the Constitution”.
All Opposition leaders and lawmakers, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Gandhi, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, RJD chief Tejaswi Yadav and CPIM general secretary MA Baby, also met at the Constitution Club to finalise the draft petition and to decide the course of action. The march from Barakhamba Road was initially scheduled to be held at 1.30pm but did not start before 4pm.
However, hundreds of people – commoners and activists alike – started gathering at the Barakhamba Road and Connaught Place intersection in anticipation of the march, shouting slogans, hoisting flags and breaking out in impromptu protests. A large number of police and security forces made cordons and created barricades along the way and diverted traffic to the other side of central Delhi.