Guwahati (Assam) [India], October 10 (ANI): All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) president Mohammed Badruddin Ajmal on Saturday backed the Cockroach Janta Party's (CJP) protest in Delhi and demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alleging that 13 crore people's names had been removed from the voter list in collusion with the BJP.
Speaking to ANI on the protest, Ajmal said several organisations in Delhi had supported the demonstration and called for Kumar's resignation.
"This is absolutely right. On behalf of the AIUDF, I support this protest. Gyanesh Kumar should step down from his post. He has committed a grave offence. In collusion with the BJP, the names of 13 crore people were removed from the voter list. My party and I support this peaceful protest," Ajmal said.
Meanwhile, Congress MP Deepender Hooda said the way the police are detaining people, "an atmosphere of dictatorship is being created across the country."
"What kind of democracy is this that you are running? The police are going to people's homes and harassing them. This has been going on for the past three or four days. They even came to my own residence yesterday to detain me; they arrived at my MP residence for that purpose... This is the state of affairs in the country, and such actions are continuing even today. We are witnessing a new form of democracy, and it is certain that a long battle will have to be fought to save democracy in this country. The government is operating in a dictatorial manner, and things have now reached an extreme. The Congress party's protests will continue," he said.
Earlier today, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray alleged that the BJP was detaining Indian citizens out of fear, questioning whether such actions amounted to dictatorship.
“This isn't just about detention; the BJP is in a state of tension, which is why everyone is facing detention. It is the fear within the BJP that has led to the detention of Indian citizens. If this isn't dictatorship, then what is?” Thackeray told reporters here.
Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Abhishek Banerjee accused the BJP government and Delhi Police of detaining around 2,500 people in connection with protests in the national capital, alleging that even a peaceful demonstration by former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and five TMC MPs was not allowed.
Banerjee alleged that those detained included party workers, supporters, people with no political affiliation and bystanders.
He also compared the government’s actions to the era of Adolf Hitler and questioned why a government elected by the people was afraid of peaceful protests.
“Today, across Delhi, the BJP government and the Delhi Police have detained around 2,500 people, including party activists, supporters, individuals with no political affiliation, and even bystanders simply standing on the street. Mamata Banerjee and five Members of Parliament were sitting at a bus stop, staging a peaceful protest against the theft of votes in Bengal; yet, even that form of protest was denied to them. This surpasses even the era of Hitler. If this government was elected by the people, why is it so afraid of the common man’s protest?” he said.
Meanwhile, Delhi Police has detained 1,000 protesters across the national capital so far on Saturday while attempting to march towards Jantar Mantar for a Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led protest demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Delhi Police continued to take demonstrators into preventive custody after informing them that permission had not been granted for the gathering.
The national capital turned into a high-security fortress as the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) had announced a 'Jantar Mantar 2.0' protest today (October 10), demanding the sacking of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. (ANI)
“CEC Gyanesh Kumar should step down”: AIUDF president Ajmal backs CJP protest
