Protest over Bihar ‘SIR’, ‘vote chori’ sees Oppn MPs detained on way to ECI

New Delhi, Aug 11: Scores of opposition MPs, including Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, were detained on Monday as they took out a protest march from Parliament House to the Election Commission Headquarters but were stopped midway.

Among those detained and taken away in buses to the Parliament Street police station were Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and his party colleague Jairam Ramesh.

"This fight is not political but for saving the Constitution... the truth is before entire country," Rahul Gandhi told the press.

As the MPs were stopped by the police from moving forward, several of them sat on the road in front of the PTI Building on Parliament Street, less than a kilometre from the Election Commission, and raised slogans demanding a rollback of the SIR.

Wearing white caps with a red cross on the words 'SIR' and "vote chori", the protesting MPs raised slogans against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Bihar while carrying placards and banners.

Before embarking on the protest march at Parliament's Makar Dwar, they sang the national anthem.

Police had made elaborate arrangements and placed barricades next to the Transport Bhawan on Parliament Street to stop the protesting MPs from moving forward,

The police asked the MPs not to proceed further and made announcement through a loudspeaker, as they were prevented from moving forward to the Election Commission headquarters, a short distance from Parliament House.

Prominent among those who participated in the march were T R Baalu (DMK), Sanjay Raut (SS-UBT), Derek O'Brien (TMC), Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Samajwadi Party's Akhilesh Yadav, as well as other MPs from opposition parties like the DMK, the RJD, Left parties.

TMC MPs Mahua Moitra and Sushmita Dev and Congress' Sanjana Jatav and Jothimani climbed the barricades at Transport Bhawan and raised slogans against the EC when they were prevented from moving forward by the police.

They held posters and raised slogans, demanding a rollback of the SIR.

A banner in front of the protesting MPs read "SIR+Vote Theft=Murder of Democracy". Another banner carried by the protesting MPs read "SIR - Loktantra Par Vaar".

The MPs also carried "SIR par chuppi Kyu" placards along with posters alleging collusion between the EC and the government.

Several MPs also carried posters and placards alleging "vote theft", a charge made out by Rahul Gandhi but denied by the EC.

The Opposition has been protesting in both Houses of Parliament against the SIR, alleging that the EC's exercise is aimed at "disenfranchising voters" in Bihar ahead of the assembly elections due later this year. They have been demanding a discussion on the issue in both Houses.

There has been a logjam in Parliament over the SIR in Bihar and both houses have seen frequent disruptions and insignificant legislative business has taken place ever since the Monsoon session of Parliament began on July 21.

PTI