NEW DELHI: Opposition MPs on Wednesday decided to stage an impromptu protest against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, a day after police stopped their march to the Election Commission (EC) office in Delhi.Follow live updatesCongress president Mallikarjun Kharge announced the decision after hosting opposition MPs for lunch at a restaurant in Janpath, central Delhi.“Today, we will hold a sit-in protest at Jantar Mantar. Until our demands are met, we will continue to stage such protests,” Kharge told reporters outside the restaurant.The Congress-led INDIA bloc is demanding Kumar’s resignation following an Indian Express report that the two Election Commissioners, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, had formally raised objections at least 14 times over the past 10 months to decisions they claimed were taken without their knowledge.However, the EC later said disagreements are normal in a multi-member institution and that all decisions were ultimately taken unanimously by the CEC and the two Election Commissioners. The poll panel is required to take decisions either by consensus among all three members or by a 2-1 majority.
INDIA bloc MPs reach Jantar Mantar
The bus carrying INDIA bloc MPs has arrived at Jantar Mantar from Janpath. Congress leaders Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, Imran Pratpgarhi and Imran Masood climbed atop the bus carrying the MPs.
‘Every FIR is medal for me’: Rahul Gandhi
Congress MP and Lok Sabha leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi, who was at the centre of Tuesday’s protest with a nine-hour sit-in at Akashvani Bhavan, the All India Radio headquarters near the EC office, said his goal was to have “100 FIRs”.The Delhi Police have registered an FIR against Rahul Gandhi and his sister and fellow Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra over their “unauthorised” entry into Akashvani Bhavan.
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“I have 45 FIRs against me. My goal is to have 100. I want 100 FIRs to be registered against me. Every FIR is a medal for me,” he told reporters.
Jantar Mantar fortified
Delhi Police beefed up security in anticipation of a possible opposition protest. The force also cited a Supreme Court directive to justify its decision not to grant permission for a sit-in at Jantar Mantar, Delhi’s designated protest venue.“As per the order of the Supreme Court in Writ Petition (Civil), Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan vs. Union of India & Others, and the Delhi Police Standing Order issued in compliance with the said order, prior permission of the competent authority is mandatory for organising any meeting, demonstration, sit-in, or protest at Jantar Mantar,” a Delhi Police statement read.“Applications seeking such permission are required to be submitted to the Deputy Commissioner of Police, New Delhi District, at least 10 days prior to the proposed event,” the statement added.