Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar during the INDIA bloc’s protest march to the Election Commission headquarters in Delhi on Tuesday.
Gandhi accused the four of undermining the electoral process through what he described as “vote chori” and said those responsible would eventually face action. His remarks came as hundreds of Opposition MPs attempted to reach the Election Commission to demand Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation and raise concerns over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
‘What has been done to the country is treason’
Speaking to reporters after the police stopped the march near the NITI Aayog and Akashvani Bhawan area, Gandhi said the Opposition was protesting to defend democratic institutions.
“I am not interested in what the BJP says. I am standing here to protect democracy in the country,” Gandhi said, adding that around 300 MPs from both Houses of Parliament had joined the mobilisation.
He alleged that Modi, Shah and Bhagwat had “hijacked” the country through alleged manipulation of votes, with Gyanesh Kumar assisting them.
“There will be action against them. None of them will be spared — be it PM Modi, Home Minister Shah, RSS chief Bhagwat or CEC Gyanesh Kumar,” Gandhi said. “What has been done to our country is treason. Nobody is going to escape.”
These were political allegations made by Gandhi during the protest. The Election Commission has rejected allegations of wrongdoing in its handling of the electoral-roll revision process and has maintained that the SIR exercise was undertaken through its established decision-making process.
INDIA bloc march stopped by police
The Opposition march began from Parliament and moved towards the Election Commission headquarters, with participants demanding the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar.
Police stopped the protesters near NITI Aayog. Several leaders subsequently staged a sit-in, while Gandhi and some other MPs climbed over the barricades. Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra later entered the Akashvani Bhawan premises in an attempt to continue towards the poll panel's office.
Several Opposition leaders, including Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Trinamool Congress MPs Abhishek Banerjee and Derek O’Brien, were detained during the confrontation. Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi were also detained before being released, according to reports.
‘Why is the CEC not meeting us?’
Gandhi also questioned the Election Commission's decision not to meet the protesting MPs.
“Why is the CEC not meeting us? Why are they stopping us? We represent the people,” he said.
In a separate social-media post, Gandhi questioned why elected representatives were being prevented from meeting the Election Commissioners and asked why police were stopping and allegedly threatening the protesters.
The INDIA bloc has been demanding greater transparency over the SIR exercise, particularly over the revision and deletion of names from electoral rolls.
SIR dispute at the centre of confrontation
The protest comes amid an escalating political and legal dispute over the Election Commission's SIR process. Opposition parties have alleged irregularities in voter-list revision and questioned the procedure used for enrolling and retaining voters.
The controversy intensified after the Supreme Court sought clarification regarding changes associated with Form 6, which is used for voter enrolment. The Election Commission has maintained that the statutory Form 6 itself was not altered and that an additional declaration was used as part of the SIR process.
