BJP calls INDIA Bloc’s march against SIR ‘anti-democratic’; Oppn demands transparency from ECI

New Delhi, Aug 11 A high-voltage political face-off erupted in the national Capital on Monday as leaders of the INDIA Bloc marched from Parliament House to the Election Commission of India (ECI) office, protesting against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar and alleging large-scale voter fraud during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra and Assembly polls in Karnataka.

While the Opposition described the protest as a constitutional right and a movement to safeguard democracy, the ruling BJP hit back, calling the march “anti-democratic” and “meaningless.”

The protest, which saw participation from top politicians like Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, RJD leader Akhilesh Yadav, and several Congress MPs, aimed to raise concerns over what the Opposition has termed “vote theft” and “manipulation of electoral rolls.” However, the BJP dismissed the assertions, accusing the INDIA Bloc of creating chaos to mask its political irrelevance.

Reacting to it, BJP National General Secretary, Arun Singh, said the protest undermined democratic norms.

“The conduct of the Congress and other Opposition MPs is essentially anti-democratic. Important issues can be raised in Zero Hour and Question Hour in Parliament, but they have wasted that time. Under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership, the nation is progressing on every front. Instead of contributing constructively in the House, they are staging spectacles on the streets,” Singh said.

BJP MP Aparajita Sarangi also dismissed the march outright.

“This protest is meaningless. Demonstrations are justified when demands are ignored, but the Election Commission — a constitutional body — was willing to meet them and had even given them an appointment at 12 P.M. today,” she said.

Union Minister of State Satish Chandra Dubey also reacted and accused the Opposition of creating controversies.

“From 1990 to 2005, they ruled Bihar and turned it into a 'jungle raj'. Now they think creating noise will help them regain lost ground. But the public is watching and won’t be misled,” he stated.

Shiv Sena MP Dhairyasheel Mane advised the Opposition to focus on their parliamentary responsibilities.

“Protesting all the time is not governance. Yes, demonstrations are a constitutional right, but Parliament is where issues must be raised — and they’re not doing that,” he said.

The INDIA Bloc, however, remained defiant, accusing the ECI of failing in its constitutional duties and the BJP of diverting attention from core democratic issues.

Samajwadi Party MP, Dimple Yadav, pointed to past electoral irregularities.

“In Uttar Pradesh, during bye-elections for 10 Assembly seats, we witnessed blatant vote theft and booth capturing. The entire operation was orchestrated by the administration, yet the Election Commission took no action despite having all the evidence,” she professed.

Congress MP Pramod Tiwari emphasised the seriousness of the issue.

“LoP Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi were brought here after being detained. Our struggle will continue until vote theft is stopped. This is a fight to protect the integrity of our democracy,” he said.

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor stressed the need for transparency from the ECI.

“Rahul Gandhi has asked serious questions. We’re not asking for favours, just answers. The public deserves clarity; there should be no room for doubt,” he said.

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh explained the rationale behind the protest.

“We were marching peacefully to the ECI to submit a memorandum on voter list manipulation. Instead of allowing all MPs to jointly present the document, they suddenly said only a delegation could come. This was never our ask. We wanted to present it collectively — peacefully — but they shut that door,” he added.

Congress MP Karti Chidambaram voiced strong concerns about voter roll integrity.

“There are 80 voters registered under one address. Some entries have door numbers as ‘0’, and personal details look like keyboard gibberish. The Leader of the Opposition raised these concerns responsibly, yet the ECI is hiding behind bureaucratic formalities instead of addressing the core issue,” he said.

Congress General Secretary K.C. Venugopal said even peaceful protests were being obstructed.

“I formally requested permission for a peaceful march to the ECI, demanding the cancellation of the SIR process and an open discussion on voter fraud. But the police didn’t allow us even 30 seconds to proceed. What are they afraid of?” he asked.

Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring described the current situation as a betrayal of democratic values.

“LoP Rahul Gandhi presented facts and evidence exposing the dark reality of vote theft. For 11 years, we remained silent. But now we are speaking with proof. What we’re witnessing today is nothing short of democracy being murdered,” he said.

Earlier, the Delhi Police detained INDIA Bloc leaders, including LoP Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Trinamool Congress' Sagarika Ghose and Shiv Sena (UBT's) Sanjay Raut along with others, who were en route to the ECI office.

Leaders of the INDIA Bloc, including Rahul Gandhi, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav and Priyanka Gandhi, staged a protest march from Parliament to the ECI headquarters, opposing the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections and raising allegations of "vote theft" during last year's Lok Sabha polls.

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