New Delhi : Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’Brien stated on October 7 that the Opposition remains united in its protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and will persist with its campaign concerning the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
Following a meeting convened by Congress president and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, O’Brien said the INDIA bloc leaders had put aside their differences to advance their protests. “We are all here together, we are all here united, and we are all here without any egos. We will fight these guys, till they are out,” he said.
The statements occurred amid intensified protests by INDIA bloc MPs against the Election Commission over alleged irregularities in the revision exercise.
Earlier, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi affirmed that the Congress and the INDIA bloc would continue street protests despite arrests and legal actions, describing their efforts as aimed at protecting the Constitution and democracy. In a post on X, Gandhi wrote, “To save the Constitution and democracy, the Congress Party and the opposition are ready to take to the streets as many times as needed, face arrests, or endure legal cases.” He reiterated the demand for the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar and declared, “We are not going to stop protesting till Gyanesh Kumar resigns. This is a fight to protect the most sacred thing in this country. There is nothing that Narendra Modi and Amit Shah can do that will stop us.”
The protest triggered a confrontation with Delhi Police as Opposition MPs attempted to proceed to Jantar Mantar, resulting in the detention of Gandhi and several others, with Gandhi taken to Barakhamba police station.
Congress MP Pawan Khera stated that protesters were prepared to continue their dharna through the night. “Everything is before you. We sat on a dharna wherever they stopped us. We are ready to sit here all through the night,” he said.
Mallikarjun Kharge added that Opposition parties would not be intimidated by police cases and pledged to continue their political campaign. “No matter how many cases you file, no matter how much you try to scare us, we are not the ones to get scared. We will keep laughing and keep moving forward. We will continue the struggle,” he said in a post on X.
These events followed the registration of an FIR by Delhi Police against Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and other INDIA bloc MPs for allegedly entering the Akashvani Bhavan premises without permission during their protest against the Election Commission on October 6.
