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Several opposition lawmakers and thousands of supporters marched
through the capital and submitted a petition to the chief
justice alleging irregularities in the nationwide revision of
voter lists.
Protests led by the “Cockroach” youth movement have intensified
since election authorities began the revision last year,
removing more than 130 million voters from the lists. The
protesters, including opposition parties, are demanding the
resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Critics say the process is politically motivated and risks
disenfranchising eligible voters. Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party
and the Election Commission deny allegations of manipulation,
saying the move is needed to remove duplicate and ineligible
names.
Ahead of the march, authorities closed six metro stations in the
capital on Monday and warned of traffic disruptions.
Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi of the Congress party described
the growing protests as a fight to defend the constitution.
“We will not back down,” he told reporters in New Delhi.
Gandhi, scion of India’s most influential political dynasty, is
seeking to turn the protests into a broader challenge to Modi.
Gandhi briefly rode through the crowd in an open bus, waving a
copy of India’s Constitution. Thousands of his party supporters,
student activists and other protesters followed in tow. The
turnout marked a sharp contrast with the weekend, when
authorities briefly detained thousands, including leaders of the
“Cockroach” movement and journalists, and effectively locked
down much of the capital to prevent large-scale protests.
Modi has not publicly commented on the protests, but leaders of
his party have dismissed them, with some calling the activists
“anarchists.”
Meanwhile, New Delhi police announced Monday that Jantar Mantar,
a longtime site of mass protests in the capital, would no longer
be a designated venue for rallies. Police said three replacement
sites had been chosen.
The “Cockroach” movement earlier this year staged a sit-in at
Jantar Mantar that lasted for weeks, forcing the resignation of
Modi’s education minister in July.
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