‘Dhappa’: Cops tried to stop INDIA bloc march to EC; Rahul Gandhi pulled a surprise

How Rahul Gandhi changed the script with a surprise move after INDIA bloc march to EC was stopped

NEW DELHI: The protest route was planned, and the police were prepared. But then came a “Rahul twist” in the planned script.The INDIA bloc’s protest march on Tuesday was supposed to begin at Parliament House and end at the Election Commission headquarters, where opposition MPs planned to demand Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

INDIA bloc protest in Delhi

As expected, central Delhi was heavily barricaded. Police and paramilitary personnel were deployed along the route, traffic diversions were put in place and access to the Election Commission office was restricted.But midway through the protest, leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and his sister, Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, pulled a surprise on the cops.As police started detaining INDIA bloc MPs and moving them into buses after stopping the march, Rahul and Priyanka did not remain on the road waiting to be taken away.Priyanka first boarded a bus parked near the building and Rahul prepared to follow her.But then suddenly they changed their course and walked into the nearby Akashvani Bhawan premises, taking their protest away from the heavily secured route to a new location and catching the cops off guard.The two later sat under a tree near Gate No. 4 as staff of the broadcasting house rushed outside to watch the unfolding drama.

Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi took the protest to Akashvani Bhavan premises.

Outside, the Congress leaders began gathering at the reception entrance, seeking to join the Gandhi siblings inside. Some of them KC Venugopal, Pawan Khera, Imran Pratapgarhi and Srinivas BV subsequently joined the sit-in protest, while others climbed the boundary wall and raised slogans.Later, Congress did not miss the opportunity to flaunt the surprise “detour” and shared a video of the move with a playful ‘dhappa’ caption. The video showed the protesters changing route just when police appeared to have brought the march under control.This is not the first time Rahul Gandhi has pulled a surprise on the cops during a protest.On July 21, a day after police action against students and youth during a protest at Jantar Mantar against NEET paper leak, Rahul and a group of Congress MPs unexpectedly reached near Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence and began an impromptu sit-in. The move was a surprise not just for the cops but also many Congress leaders who were only told that they were gathering to wish birthday wishes to party chief Mallikarjun Kharge. That protest ended only after police physically removed Rahul and other leaders from outside the PM’s house.

Rahul Gandhi being taken away by cops during July 21 protest.

This time, Rahul changed his method. He announced a protest plan and started on the planned course. But instead of waiting for police to arrest him, he and Priyanka quickly moved the demonstration to another location.Earlier in the day, Rahul climbed a police barricade and waved the national flag as INDIA bloc MPs attempted to move towards Nirvachan Sadan. Police eventually stopped the march, detained several leaders and began taking them away in buses.Congress leader Pawan Khera hit out at the security deployment that prevented opposition MPs from reaching the poll body to submit their memorandum. Rahul, too, questioned why opposition leaders were being prevented from meeting Election Commissioners.

Rahul Gandhi scales barricades as cops tried to stop protesters.

“More than 300 opposition MPs marched from Parliament to the Election Commission today to meet the Election Commissioners. We represent crores of Indians. Why aren’t the Election Commissioners meeting us? Why is the police stopping and threatening us?” Rahul said.The march was part of the INDIA bloc’s wider campaign against the Election Commission over the SIR exercise. Opposition parties have accused the poll body of disenfranchising eligible voters and have demanded Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation. The INDIA bloc has also sought the scrapping of the current SIR exercise and restoration of names it alleges were wrongly deleted from electoral rolls.The Election Commission has rejected the allegations.“The ECI is a constitutional body that functions under the strict mandate of Article 324 of the Constitution, statutory rules and established institutional conventions. The Commission operates as a multi-member constitutional body. Written notes, observations, technical suggestions and internal checks-and-balances are standard, ongoing practices designed to ensure complete transparency, legal compliance and operational rigour. All actions of ECI have been in accordance of laws and instructions of the Commission,” the EC had said in an official statement.“Differing views and observations are a normal part of deliberation in any institution. They are a part of the decision-making process before a final decision is taken. Not only the three Commissioners, but every officer of the Commission is fully authorized to give his suggestions to the Commission for improving the electoral system,” it said.The BJP, meanwhile, accused the opposition of attempting to undermine a constitutional institution. Party spokesperson Sambit Patra alleged that the Congress and its allies were trying to create “anarchy” and use the confrontation with the Election Commission to politically relaunch Rahul Gandhi.

“A sponsored attempt is being made by opposition parties, especially the Congress, as to how a change of power can be brought about in the country and Rahul Gandhi be made to sit in power just like that. For this, a blow to India’s democracy and constitutional bodies is being hurled in a sponsored manner,” Patra said.The protests are still not over.The march has now turned into a sit-in. Delhi Police and Rapid Action Force personnel are still stationed outside Akashvani Bhawan while the Congress leaders remain inside. It will be interesting to see how the cops handle this: Do they forcibly lift Rahul and other Congress leaders as they did in July? Or do they let the Congress leaders stay put while ensuring that the crowd does not swell?