As part of the Congress-led nationwide “Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao” campaign, INDIA bloc parties staged strong protests across Haryana on Thursday, alleging irregularities in the revision of electoral rolls and demanding the resignation of chief election commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.
The LoP was joined by party state in-charge Sanjay Dutt, state president Rao Narender Singh, local MLA Nirmal Singh and district president Pawan Aggarwal. “There is nationwide outrage over the ‘high-handedness and dictatorial attitude displayed by the BJP in Delhi against our leader’, Rahul Gandhi. If the government believes it can intimidate Rahul or Congress workers through FIRs and brutal police action, it is mistaken. In Karnal, the protests were held under the leadership of district urban president Parag Gaba and district rural president Rajesh Vaid, in the presence of former Assandh MLA Shamsher Singh Gogi. On the culmination of the march at Dr BR Ambedkar Chowk, the protestors staged a brief sit-in, before they were forcibly removed by the police. In Rohtak, former Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee president Udai Bhan led the demonstration. In Jind, Congress workers marched from Rani Talab to the district secretariat. Former minister and Congress leader Geeta Bhukkal alleged that the arrest of Rahul Gandhi during protests amounted to an attack on democracy. She alleged that the EC was functioning under the influence of the ruling BJP and demanded Kumar’s removal.
Gaba said he along with Vaid and at least 20 other workers were detained at civil lines police station, only to be released after an hour.
Addressing protesters, Hooda said that the Congress party’s fight against “vote theft” and the Election Commission’s (EC) irregularities is set to intensify. Every Congress member will fight this battle with all their might and emerge victorious,” he said. Bhan alleged that the EC was being used as a “tool” by the BJP to undermine the people’s mandate.
In Sirsa, former minister Birender Singh led a procession from the Congress Bhawan to Ambedkar Chowk.
Former Haryana chief minister and Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Bhupinder Singh Hooda led a protest in Ambala and said that the agitation by the entire INDIA bloc will continue until the CEC resigns. “The longer he (CEC) delays stepping down, the more the movement by the Congress will intensify across the state,” Hooda said. Singh alleged that genuine voters had been removed from electoral rolls and said the Opposition had a responsibility to raise the issue of voting rights.
