New Delhi:Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi was detained by police on Wednesday during a protest against the country's chief election official. This action is part of an intensified campaign by opposition parties over a controversial revision of voter lists.
According to United News of Bangladesh, Gandhi and other opposition lawmakers were stopped by police as they marched toward Jantar Mantar, a designated protest site in New Delhi. A live broadcast from the Congress party's YouTube channel showed police taking Gandhi into custody and driving him away.
Authorities also detained several other opposition lawmakers and protesters. The opposition is demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. They accuse the election commission of manipulating voter registrations to favor Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, a claim the commission and government deny.
The protests are part of a broader campaign by opposition parties, student groups, and the 'Cockroach' movement against the nationwide voter list revision known as the Special Intensive Revision. This revision, which began last year in Bihar, has eliminated over 130 million names from voter lists across India, sparking appeals from millions who contest their removals.
Opposition parties argue that the revision has disproportionately affected their supporters, calling for the process to be stopped and for wrongfully removed names to be restored. However, Modi's party and the Election Commission maintain that the revision is politically neutral and necessary to remove duplicate or ineligible entries while keeping eligible voters registered.
These protests present a new political challenge for Modi, following previous demonstrations that led to the resignation of his education minister over exam paper leaks.