Rahul Gandhi says youths questioning 'vote chori' are being beaten on the streets

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, citing "vote chori" (vote theft), once again targeted Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar and the Union government. He alleged that young people were being beaten on the streets.

He said thousands of youths took to the streets against vote theft on Friday, Gandhi Jayanti. According to him, they protested peacefully and without any violence, exercising their constitutional rights.

Gandhi said the youths' demand was clear: save democracy, and Gyanesh Kumar should resign from his post. He asked what the Modi-Shah government had to say in response. He alleged that the government was dragging young men and women along the road and that hundreds had been detained. He asked whether merely questioning vote theft was their fault.

Gandhi further said Bapu's teaching was to speak the truth and fight peacefully, and that this is what frightens the government most. In his words, lathis and sticks can disperse a crowd, but not a question. He said Gyanesh Kumar would go, and the system that has put him in his seat would go too.

On Gandhi Jayanti, opposition parties and student organisations held peaceful mass protests across the country against alleged irregularities in the electoral rolls and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process. Clashes between protesters and police were seen in several major cities, including Delhi and Mumbai.

In Delhi, police put up barricades to stop student organisations and Youth Congress members heading towards Jantar Mantar. Police also detained hundreds of protesters.

The protesters and the opposition's main allegation is that the Election Commission, instead of working impartially, is acting under pressure from those in power. They also allege that many names have been deleted from the electoral rolls without any hearing.

In Mumbai, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest at Shivaji Park ended on Friday evening. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke left the protest site in the evening. The CJP demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Some Hindutva organisations tried to disrupt the protest, but police acted immediately and detained them.