New Delhi: Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has invited opposition MPs for high tea at his residence on Tuesday, a day after INDIA bloc leaders and supporters marched towards the Supreme Court over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The meeting is expected to focus on the opposition’s next course of action against the Election Commission.
On Monday, INDIA bloc leaders and supporters, led by Rahul Gandhi, marched along Barakhamba Road towards the Supreme Court. Subsequently, 11 opposition leaders filed a petition in the apex court challenging the Election Commission’s decisions relating to the SIR of electoral rolls.
The high-tea meeting comes amid continued opposition protests and discussions among INDIA bloc partners over their next steps in the matter.
Pawan Khera Says Opposition Will Explore All Options
Congress leader Pawan Khera said the party had approached the Supreme Court because of its faith in the judiciary.
“We completely disagree with this position, whoever has done it. It is completely incorrect. We have absolute faith in the judiciary of this country and respect the highest court. That is exactly why we went to the doorstep of the highest court and knocked on its door, because of the confidence we have in the judiciary,” Khera told ANI in the national capital.
Targeting the central government and the Election Commission, Khera accused the ruling establishment of undermining democratic institutions and “stealing elections”. These allegations have not been independently established.
“We will exhaust every avenue possible to protect our democracy and rescue it from the clutches of Gyanesh Kumar and his two masters. As for the next step, all INDIA bloc partners are currently brainstorming, and we will announce our next step,” he said.
Khera further alleged that the government was struggling to respond to accusations of institutional capture.
“This outgoing government simply does not know how to respond because they know the charges are accurate. They know they have been stealing elections and capturing institutions. The country is responding very sharply, which is why they are afraid of the citizens, and they should be afraid,” he added.
Manish Tewari Lists Opposition’s Demands
Congress MP Manish Tewari outlined two key demands raised by the opposition amid the dispute over the electoral roll revision.
He called for the current voter list to be scrapped and the 2024 voter list to be reinstated. He also demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The opposition has questioned the Election Commission’s decisions concerning the SIR process and has approached the Supreme Court to challenge them.
The proposed meeting at Rahul Gandhi’s residence is expected to provide an opportunity for opposition MPs to discuss the issue and consider further steps. However, the next course of action has not yet been formally announced in the supplied report.
Rahul Gandhi Says INDIA Bloc Will Continue Its Fight
Earlier, Rahul Gandhi thanked opposition leaders for supporting the protest march and said the INDIA bloc would continue its campaign.
“We needed to show the government that the people of India are not going to be intimidated. You cannot beat us, threaten us, frighten us. We will not accept being bullied,” he said.
Emphasising unity among opposition parties, Gandhi added that the protest was a collective effort rather than a series of separate demonstrations.
“As I said in my press conference, there are no parallel protests. It’s one protest, and it’s a protest where everybody is standing together. Every single person is going to stand against these killers of our Constitution, these killers of our democracy. And we’re not going to back down,” he said.
The INDIA bloc’s next steps will be closely watched as opposition leaders continue their challenge to the Election Commission’s decisions on the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
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