BJP leaders, workers, and supporters carry national flags and party banners during the ‘Loktantra Bachao, Arajakta Hatao’ protest march at Chandni Chowk in New Delhi on Wednesday

NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party is planning to launch a counter-protest in Delhi against the Congress-led INDIA bloc’s rally against voter irregularities at Ramlila Maidan on November 1, news agency ANI reported.According to the report, around 5,000 people are expected to participate in the march in the Hari Nagar area of the national capital.Members of the Sikh community, especially victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and their family members, are also likely to join the BJP’s march as the party is gearing up for the upcoing Punjab assembly elections.Their participation is likely to bring the issue of the 1984 riots into focus, with the BJP seeking to highlight the alleged role of Congress leaders in the violence.This comes as the BJP has questioned Rahul Gandhi over holding the ‘Delhi Chalo’ march on November 1, which is also the anniversary of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in Delhi following the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.Several senior BJP leaders from the Sikh community, along with other prominent party leaders, are expected to join the march. The party is preparing to ensure significant participation of its Sikh leaders and workers in the protest.Senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad had accused Congress of rubbing salt into the wounds of the Sikh community.“Why is Rahul Gandhi so adamant about holding his rally in Delhi on November 1? This issue is being raised very seriously by our party. November 1 is a day that holds deep emotional significance for the Sikh community, as they remember the 1984 massacre with profound sorrow,” Prasad had said during a BJP press conference.Meanwhile, INDIA bloc constituents are also gearing up for a show of strength at the opposition’s rally on November 1. According to Congress leaders, around 10 lakh people are expected to join the march.Earlier on Friday, Rahul Gandhi said, “This is not multiple protests” but “one protest”, and asserted that the entire opposition stood united in protecting the votes of every Indian and defending the Constitution.

He asserted that the Ramlila rally would be a big one despite attempts by the government and Union home minister Amit Shah to stop people from other states from joining it.“By consensus we have decided to postpone today’s programme to tomorrow because of rain. We felt that it would be uncomfortable for seniors to sit in the rain, and we would do the exact same programme tomorrow,” Rahul said at a joint press conference with INDIA bloc leaders outside Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence.