Oppn Holds Protest March Against SIR, 'Vote Theft'

Says EC Can't Be 'Churao Aayog'

- OUR CORRESPONDENT

NEW DELHI: Opposition INDIA bloc MPs led by senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and floor leaders of other parties took out a protest march on Monday from Parliament House to the Election Commission office but were stopped midway by the Delhi police and detained briefly amid high drama unfolding on the street.

The opposition leaders, including Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and veteran Sharad Pawar, were protesting against the revision of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar and alleged "vote chori."

The ruling BJP, however, slammed the opposition parties for their protest, alleging that they are trying to create "anarchy and instability" in the country.

As opposition MPs, wearing white caps with red cross on the words 'SIR' and "vote chori", started walking from Parliament's Makar Dwar to the Election Commission office while carrying placards and banners, they were stopped by the police, which had made elaborate arrangements to prevent them from proceeding forward by putting up barricades outside the PTI Building on Parliament Street.

Many of the MPs sat on the road and raised slogans while some women MPs, including saree-clad Mahua Moitra of Trinamool Congress and the Congress’ Sanjana Jatav and Jothimani, climbed the barricades.

They were later whisked away by police in buses and taken to the Parliament Street Police Station. All the MPs were later released. TMC’s Moitra and Mitali Bag fainted during the protest and were helped by Rahul Gandhi.

The protest march comes days after Rahul Gandhi’s press conference of last Thursday, in which he presented what he termed as an “atom bomb” of proofs over poll body resorting to “vote chori”.

Rahul Gandhi particularly cited anomalies in some states like Maharashtra and Karnataka. He spoke of irregularities like “one crore mystery voters,” destruction of CCTV footage, thousands of fake voters, and refusal by the EC to share voter-related data.