NEW DELHI: Leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday questioned the Delhi Police over “stopping and threatening” INDIA bloc MPs who were marching to the Election Commission, saying the Opposition wanted to question Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged “vote chori”.In a social media post, Rahul said the Election Commissioners were not meeting the Opposition MPs despite their request.“More than 300 opposition MPs marched from Parliament to the Election Commission today to meet the Election Commissioners,” the Congress leader said.“We represent crores of Indians. Why aren’t the Election Commissioners meeting us? Why is the police stopping and threatening us?” he asked.The remarks came after Rahul, along with INDIA bloc MPs, staged a sit-in metres away from the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) office at the Akashvani Bhawan premises.Rahul, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal, MPs Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Pawan Khera and Imran Pratapgarhi were seen sitting under a tree after Opposition leaders pushed open the gates of the Akashvani Bhawan premises in an attempt to reach the ECI headquarters, located around 300 metres away.According to sources, a PCR call was later made from Akashvani Bhawan, alleging that Rahul had entered the premises forcibly.Addressing reporters, Congress leader Pawan Khera said, “The Election Commission is right next to us, and the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha is not being allowed to go to the Election Commission; he has been stopped. So, you can see Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, our Venugopal, Channi, Imran Pratapgarhi and all of us are sitting in protest here inside Akashvani Bhawan.”“The Election Commission is barely 100 metres from here, and when the Leader of Opposition wants to go there and submit a memorandum, he is being stopped, and everyone is being stopped very harshly. You saw the situation outside. This is the state of democracy in the national capital of this country,” he added.Carrying tricolours and banners reading “Save democracy”, INDIA bloc MPs raised slogans against the CEC, BJP and RSS as they marched towards the ECI headquarters. Delhi Police and other security forces were placed on alert in view of the protest, while barricades were erected outside the ECI office.
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Rahul and Priyanka, along with several other INDIA bloc leaders, were also briefly detained after they were stopped from proceeding towards the ECI office.Rahul was stopped by multiple layers of police barricades while attempting to reach the ECI headquarters. He subsequently climbed onto one of the barricades and waved a large national flag, drawing loud slogans of support from INDIA bloc leaders and workers gathered at the spot.
