As the INDIA bloc leaders march from the Parliament to the Election Commission's office to protest against the allegations of 'vote chori' and Bihar SIR, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said that doubts in the minds of people about fairness in elections are damaging the Election Commission's credibility.
Tharoor, who joined the protest march, asserted the Election Commission's own interest lies in addressing these questions. "As long as there are doubts in the minds of people about the fairness of the elections, that is harming the credibility of the Election Commission. As long as those doubts are removed, then the Election Commission's credibility can be regained. The Election Commission's own interest lies in addressing these questions," he said.
Opposition MPs detained on way to EC
Scores of Opposition MPs, including Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, were detained on Monday while marching from Parliament House to the Election Commission to register their protest. The march was stopped midway by police, and several leaders — among them Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and Samajwadi Party MP Akhilesh Yadav — were taken away in buses to the Parliament Street police station. The protest was part of a united Opposition demonstration against alleged electoral and political issues.
"This fight is not political but for saving the Constitution," Rahul Gandhi told reporters. "... the truth is before the entire country," he added.
As the MPs were stopped by the police from moving forward, several of them sat on the road in front of the PTI Building on Parliament Street, less than a kilometre from the Election Commission, and raised slogans demanding a rollback of the SIR.
Samajwadi Party MP Dimple Yadav, who was part of the protest marc,h said, "Questions are being raised on our democracy. In UP, by-elections were held on 10 Vidhan Sabha seats; not only were votes stolen, but booths were captured. Why didn't the Election Commission take action against the officers who were working on orders of the state government?"
RJD MP Manoj Jha said that SIR is a "fraud" and accused EC of not providing a classified data."If you cannot meet MPs citing the excuse of space, then that in itself is a comment on what kind of work you are doing... This (SIR) is a fraud; you are not providing classified data. Despite the Supreme Court's instructions, your (Election Commission) stubbornness is not going away," Jha said.
What Delhi Police say about the protests?
Meanwhile, the Delhi Police has said that the Opposition MPs have sought no permission for the march.
New Delhi DCP Devesh Kumar Mahla said "... The Election Commission had given a letter that 30 MPs could visit them, but over 200 MPs came marching from the Parliament. We stopped them for their security and to prevent any law and order situation. Later, they were detained. Some MPs also tried jumping the barricade. They have also been detained."
(With agencies inputs)
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