NEW DELHI: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Friday urged people nationwide to join the October 10 protest at Jantar Mantar, alleging that the BJP government and chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar were deleting votes on a large scale.Kejriwal alleged that the Centre was undermining democracy by deleting the votes of people who did not vote for the BJP and adding fake votes, news agency ANI reported.Kejriwal confirmed that he would attend the protest along with his family and urged others to join, ANI reported.“The protest is beginning at Jantar Mantar. I will be going, my entire family will be going, and I urge all of you to join as well,” he added.Kejriwal further said, “Those who don’t vote for the BJP have their votes deleted, while fake votes are added. This was happening openly under Gyanesh Kumar.”He urged citizens to gather in large numbers at Jantar Mantar, saying the protest was not about any individual or political party but about the country.“The entire country is demanding Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation. I appeal to everyone, all citizens across the nation, to gather in maximum numbers at Jantar Mantar. This is not about any single individual or party; it is about the country,” he said.The remarks came after Delhi Police rejected an application seeking permission for the planned October 10 demonstration over the accountability of the chief election commissioner (CEC).Police cited short notice, past non-compliance and prevailing law-and-order concerns.On Friday, Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) activist Abhijeet Dipke reiterated that the organisation would hold the protest at Jantar Mantar despite not receiving police permission. He said activists were prepared to face detention or arrest.Questioning the security measures ahead of the demonstration, Dipke said, “What is this fear? Why are you this scared? You are scared of the youth in the country. You shut down trains, you shut down the metro, what should one do?”He also questioned the inconvenience that restrictions on public transport and roads could cause to commuters, ANI reported.“Is Delhi a property of Narendra Modi or Amit Shah? Is this their ancestral property? Is this their paternal property? On one hand, you say that due to the protest, people are facing inconvenience, and on the other hand, you shut down all the metro, you shut down all the railways, you block all the roads. Now, won’t there be inconvenience for people?” he said.Dipke said CJP activists were ready to face detention or arrest over the proposed demonstration.“How many people will they detain? Arrest me, detain me! Saurabh is ready, Ashutosh is ready. Arrest me, detain me!” he said.Questioning the need for police permission, Dipke referred to Article 19 of the Constitution and said Jantar Mantar was a designated protest site, ANI reported.“Did Gyanesh Kumar take permission? Before deleting 13 crore votes, did Gyanesh Kumar take permission? The Supreme Court didn’t even give approval for the Form 6 modification. So, when Gyanesh Kumar, without telling anyone, without asking anyone, deletes 13 crore votes, then to protest against him, the constitutional right we have according to Article 19, what is the need for permission?” he said.Dipke also questioned Delhi Police’s requirement that applications for protests at Jantar Mantar be submitted at least 10 days in advance.“The government is very serious. I think Narendra Modi and Amit Shah should keep checking their blood pressure. The kind of fear this government is showing,” he said.(With agency inputs)
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