Satyagraha for SIR injustice draws FIR: Congress on case against Rahul, Priyanka

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh criticised the Delhi Police FIR against Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other Opposition leaders following their protest against electoral-roll revision. He accused the government and Election Commission of enabling “vote chori” and defended Gandhi’s Satyagraha

New Delhi: Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday said that Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi had been “relentlessly exposing” what he described as a “vote chori conspiracy”, and criticised the registration of an FIR following the Opposition’s protest against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

In a post on X, Ramesh said, “For almost two years now, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has been relentlessly exposing, through factual evidence, the Vote Chori conspiracy hatched between the PM & the HM on one side and the CEC on the other.”

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He alleged that “crores of genuine voters” had lost their constitutional right to vote through what he called the “atrocious process of SIR – Shahenshah Instigated Removal”. Ramesh further said that when Rahul Gandhi adopted the method of “Satyagraha” to highlight what the Congress described as injustices arising from SIR, the Delhi Police registered an FIR against him and other leaders.

“And when the LOP-LS adopts the method of satyagraha to highlight the injustices of SIR, the Delhi Police registers an FIR against him and other leaders.” “The diabolical duo is nervous, rattled and desperate. The writing on the wall is clear,” Ramesh said in his post.

His remarks came after Rahul Gandhi and Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were booked along with others in connection with their entry into the Akashwani Bhawan premises during Tuesday’s Opposition protest.

The police case followed the INDIA bloc’s march from Parliament towards the Election Commission headquarters, during which the protesters were stopped near Akashwani Bhawan. The Gandhi siblings and other INDIA bloc leaders were subsequently detained by the Delhi Police after they remained at the premises for several hours. They were later released.

The leaders had forcibly entered and gathered on the Akashwani Bhawan campus after being prevented from proceeding towards the Election Commission office.

Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other Opposition leaders staged a sit-in on the premises, demanding action on the electoral-roll revision exercise and seeking the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

According to reports, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi were among those who forcibly entered the premises through the reception gate and later sat under a tree. Police personnel asked the protesters to vacate the area, but the leaders continued their sit-in.