Rahul Gandhi urges Congress to spring protest surprises

NEW DELHI: Indian authorities detained opposition leader Rahul Gandhi and multiple lawmakers for a third consecutive day on Wednesday, as they held an unscheduled protest demanding the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner over a contentious alteration of voter records. Opposition factions, student wings, and the "cockroach" youth organization have been staging daily demonstrations, urging Gyanesh Kumar to step down after an Indian Express article alleged internal disputes within the electoral panel over updating voter databases, raising doubts about the commission's impartiality.

Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi spearheaded the protest on Tuesday, demanding a meeting with Kumar and his subordinates, only to be dispersed by police and subsequently detained. On Wednesday, Gandhi led a lunch meeting organized by the Congress in a central Delhi restaurant, near the Jantar Mantar square where rallies are allowed.

Disappointed by the police's prohibition of protests at that location, Gandhi and his party members proceeded to the designated protest site, where they vowed to remain until Kumar's resignation. The demonstrators carried placards condemning alleged "vote theft" and "democracy theft," and accused the Chief Election Commissioner of being a pawn of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party.

Accompanied by hundreds of Congress supporters on foot, the bus carrying the lawmakers faced heavy police and paramilitary presence, including a road blockade leading to Jantar Mantar. Upon arrival, Gandhi exited the vehicle, surrounded by a sea of protesters and security forces, while his sister Priyanka Vadra and other lawmakers sat on the ground.

Live footage from Gandhi's party's YouTube channel captured him standing amidst the crowd while security personnel dragged Gandhi and Vadra away in separate vehicles. The police have not yet commented on the arrests. The ongoing protests pose a fresh hurdle for Modi, who is serving his third consecutive term, following similar demonstrations by the Cockroach Janta Party youth movement that forced the dismissal of an education minister over allegations of exam paper leaks.

Kumar has remained mum on the voter list controversy, with the election commission and the BJP attributing the claims to baseless accusations.