Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Oct 30: The ruling BJP is planning to counter the opposition INDIA bloc’s rally on Sunday demanding the removal of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar by taking out a march on Delhi’s streets mainly involving the sufferers and the family members of the victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
The proposed march will be led by Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and will be held in Delhi’s Hari Nagar area at 11 am on Sunday. Several prominent BJP leaders, including senior Sikh leaders from the party, are expected to take part in the programme.
The party sources said more than 5,000 people are expected to participate in the march which also aimed at reviving the memory of the 1984 riots in which a large number of Sikhs were massacred in Delhi in the aftermath of the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh security staff.
Meanwhile, the opposition INDIA bloc decided to postpone its proposed “Public Impeachment” of the CEC till Saturday due to incessant rains in Delhi on Friday. The programme which was scheduled to be held at 10, Rajaji Marg, the residence of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in New Delhi, has now been rescheduled for Saturday.
The opposition bloc had planned the event as a public protest demanding Kumar’s removal, accusing the Election Commission of failing to address its concerns over alleged ‘vote chori’ and irregularities in the electoral process.
The proceedings were intended to bring together leaders and representatives of INDIA bloc parties to discuss the allegations against the CEC and press for action.
Speaking to the media persons, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said the opposition’s programmes were aimed at raising concerns over what he described as the demolition of Indian democracy.
He also referred to the planned march to Ramlila Maidan, scheduled for the following day, and said people from political parties, civil society, social organisations, service groups and other sections would be welcome to participate.
“The day after, we have a march to Ramlila Maidan. All the opposition, everybody who wants to come: political, non-political, social, service people, civil society people, journalists are welcome,” Gandhi said.
Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the CEC Gyanesh Kumar, Gandhi alleged that they were responsible for undermining democratic institutions.
He further accused the government of trying to prevent people from reaching Delhi for the protest, claiming that party workers and ordinary citizens travelling from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, Telangana and Punjab were being stopped.
INDIA bloc leaders had met on Thursday to finalise the arrangements for the proposed proceedings against the CEC. The meeting was held ahead of the planned public event at Kharge’s residence. The Congress and other opposition parties had initially explored venues such as the Constitution Club and Talkatora Stadium but failed to secure them. Kharge’s residence was subsequently chosen as the venue for the symbolic protest.
Separately, the Congress has announced a ‘Dilli Chalo’ march to Ramlila Maidan on Sunday to protest against alleged vote theft. The party has set a target of mobilising at least one million citizens for the march. The protest is expected to bring together opposition leaders, party workers and members of civil society to raise their concerns over the electoral process.
The rally is expected to draw political leaders and party workers from different parts of the country. Several Opposition parties, including those from southern states, have extended their support to the programme. Several Chief Ministers and senior Congress leaders are also expected to participate.
The Union Minister Chirag Paswan has criticised the Congress-led Opposition alliance over its decision to hold the rally during the festive shopping season. He argued that the demonstration could create difficulties for traders and ordinary residents in the national capital. Speaking to reporters in Patna, Paswan said, “Go ahead and hold your rally; there is no issue with that. But the timing of this rally is what is most concerning. You have received permission from both the govt and the administration… but look at the timing.
“We are currently in the festive season. For the business community, this is the prime opportunity to earn their livelihood for the entire year and expand their businesses. Yet, right between Dussehra and Diwali, a period when people are out in large numbers to shop, buy gifts for one another, and prepare for the festivities, you have chosen to schedule this rally… They have effectively held Delhi hostage; there are constant protests and now, by moving to Ramlila Maidan, they are set to inconvenience the public and cause losses to the business community.”
Paswan also questioned the Congress’s decision to organise its rally on November 1, pointing out that the date holds a painful significance for the Sikh community because of the 1984 anti-Sikh violence in Delhi. He said, “Regarding November 1st, I don’t know if this is a coincidence or something else, but they should have at least been sensitive enough to realise that this date carries a different, somber significance. It was on this very soil, in Delhi, that the massacre of Sikhs took place. With the Punjab elections approaching, the Congress party, by holding a rally, a show of strength, on the anniversary of the Sikh massacre, is effectively rubbing salt into the wounds of those who lost their loved ones in that tragedy.”
Meanwhile, ahead of the INDIA bloc’s November 1 rally, the Chamber of Trade & Industry (CTI) has written a letter to the former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, saying, “an atmosphere of panic prevails among 2 million traders in Delhi as business could come to a standstill on October 31 and November 1.” The trade body earlier written a letter to the Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge raising their concern.
CTI Chairman Brijesh Goyal said the Ramlila Maidan, where the upcoming rally is scheduled to take place, is surrounded within a five-kilometre radius by 20 major wholesale markets. Goods worth crores are dispatched daily from these hubs to destinations across the country and abroad. “It is being claimed that 1 million (10 lakh) people will attend the rally at Ramlila Maidan — a venue with a capacity of only 50,000. If 1 million people descend upon a space designed for 50,000, won’t the entire infrastructure, including transportation, collapse,” he asked. “The city’s trade sector has already suffered a loss of Rs 3,000 crore over the last 25 days, and we estimate that this rally could result in a further loss of Rs 10,000 crore,” he added.
Apart from CTI, other trades’ associations have sought intervention to postpone the INDIA bloc’s November 1 rally at the Ramlila Maidan until after Diwali, citing concerns over business and traffic disruptions. The Federation of Sadar Bazar Trades Association and the Kirana Committee Delhi said the rally could affect business at several wholesale markets during the festive season, when traders expect a surge in sales. They urged the opposition leaders to reconsider holding the scheduled rally on Sunday.