Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Oct 7: High drama unfolded in central Delhi on Wednesday as opposition MPs of the INDIA bloc heading to Jantar Mantar for a protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar were stopped by a heavy security cordon, with several leaders detained.
Rahul Gandhi was detained and taken away from the protest site, while Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was forcibly removed after she and other women MPs lay down on the road leading to Jantar Mantar. Priyanka alleged that women police personnel shoved her to the ground and scratched her while detaining her.
"This is how they treat Members of Parliament who are asking simply to meet the Election Commissioner," Priyanka said, alleging that police personnel had scratched and thrown protesters to the ground.
The confrontation began after buses carrying opposition MPs from Janpath towards Jantar Mantar were stopped on Ashoka Road, triggering a road blockade, sloganeering and sit-in protests at Windsor Circle.
Police first removed Rahul Gandhi and put him inside a police minibus after carrying him on their shoulders. Congress leaders Amarinder Singh Raja Warring and Udai Bhanu Chib climbed onto the bus carrying Gandhi, while another leader, Mumtaz Patel, sat on its bonnet.
A large contingent of women police personnel then moved in to remove Priyanka Gandhi and other women leaders who were lying on the road. They were also taken away and put into buses.
The protest was called by INDIA bloc MPs over allegations of "vote chori" and to demand the removal of Gyanesh Kumar, a day after opposition leaders had a nine-hour face-off with police while seeking a meeting with the Election Commissioners.
The decision to hold Wednesday's protest at Jantar Mantar came after a solidarity lunch hosted by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. Following the lunch at a restaurant on Janpath, the MPs boarded buses and set out for Jantar Mantar.
Some leaders climbed onto the roofs of the buses carrying the Tricolour as the procession moved through the high-security area. Congress MPs Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, Deepender Singh Hooda, Imran Pratapgarhi and Imran Masood, along with Seva Dal chief BV Srinivas, were seen waving the national flag from the bus roofs.
The buses were stopped after travelling about a kilometre by a multi-layered security cordon on Ashoka Road, around another kilometre from Jantar Mantar. Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi then got off and joined the protest on the road. Priyanka and other women leaders lay down at Windsor Circle, with her holding a copy of the Constitution.
Before the confrontation, Rahul Gandhi told reporters that the opposition would protest at Jantar Mantar, a designated protest site, and assert that Gyanesh Kumar was "not a legitimate Election Commissioner" for them.
MPs from the Congress, TMC, CPI(M), CPI, RJD, IUML and several other parties took part in the protest, while Samajwadi Party MPs were not present.
RJD MP Manoj Kumar Jha, while being detained, alleged that police had launched a "brutal lathi charge" and held Gyanesh Kumar, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi responsible for the action.
Congress MP Renuka Chowdhury accused the authorities of "hooliganism" and said the protesters would not be intimidated. TMC MP Mahua Moitra also questioned the police action, alleging that peaceful protesters were being subjected to force and asking why MPs were being prevented from reaching Jantar Mantar.
Congress MP Pawan Khera said the protesters had a democratic right to demonstrate and questioned why they were being stopped from reaching the designated protest site. He invoked Article 19 and said the protesters were fighting for their right to demonstrate.
Meanwhile, the Congress has announced plans to intensify its campaign against the Chief Election Commissioner. The party has announced a major "Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao" rally at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan on November 1.