New Delhi [India], September 28 (ANI): CPI(M) General Secretary MA Baby and other Left leaders on Monday marched from AKG Bhawan to the statue of Shaheed Bhagat Singh at Gole Market in New Delhi on his 119th birth anniversary, pledging to protect the Right to Vote and democracy.
The protest march, held to mark Bhagat Singh's birth anniversary, came amid an ongoing political debate over electoral rolls and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) being undertaken by the Election Commission.
The Left leaders paid tribute to Bhagat Singh and pledged to safeguard voting rights and democratic values during the march.
Bhagat Singh was born on September 28, 1907, in Banga, in present-day Pakistan's Punjab province. He emerged as one of the prominent revolutionaries of India's freedom struggle and became a prominent figure in the movement against British rule.
On April 8, 1929, Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt threw bombs inside the Central Legislative Assembly in Delhi in protest against colonial legislation. They deliberately surrendered and used the subsequent proceedings to convey their opposition to British rule.
Bhagat Singh was later convicted in the Lahore Conspiracy Case and executed alongside Shivaram Rajguru and Sukhdev Thapar on March 23, 1931, at the age of 23.
The Left parties' programme in Delhi coincided with protests by opposition parties over the functioning of the Election Commission and the SIR of electoral rolls.
Congress workers also held demonstrations in several states on Monday, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and raising objections to the electoral-roll revision exercise.
In Hyderabad, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president Mahesh Kumar Goud led a protest march from the Indira Gandhi statue to the Election Commission office. Congress MP Kiran Kumar Chamala said the party would submit a complaint seeking Kumar's resignation and prosecution.
Meanwhile, Left parties staged a protest against Gyanesh Kumar in Patna, while Congress workers held demonstrations in Srinagar and Lucknow.
Congress MP Pawan Khera said the protests were being held across the country and alleged that the election mandate was being “stolen”.
“This protest is ongoing across the country. CEC deceived this country; election mandates are being stolen. SIR is completely illegal,” Khera said.
He also alleged that changes to Form 6 required parliamentary approval and demanded the removal of Gyanesh Kumar. (ANI)
Delhi: CPI (M)'s MA Baby, Left leaders march from AKG Bhawan to Gole Market on Bhagat Singh's birth anniversary
