Rahul Gandhi Leads Bihar Bandh, Challenges ECI Over Voter List Revision
Rahul Gandhi, joined by Tejashwi Yadav and others, spearheads the 'Bihar Bandh' protest against the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Demonstrators, including Congress and RJD leaders, demand transparency amid accusations of bias toward the BJP, while the ECI insists the revision progresses as planned.
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In a bold move, Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, alongside Rashtriya Janata Dal's Tejashwi Yadav, led a significant protest named 'Bihar Bandh' in Patna on Wednesday. This demonstration was against the Election Commission of India's decision to conduct a Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls ahead of the state assembly elections.
The gathering saw participation from key opposition allies including CPI General Secretary D Raja, CPI (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation leader Dipankar Bhattacharya, Bihar Congress President Rajesh Ram, Kanhaiya Kumar, and Sanjay Yadav, collectively raising their voices in unison against the electoral revision. Independent MP Pappu Yadav joined the protest at Sachiwalay Halt railway station, with crowds rallying cries of 'Chunav Aayog hosh mein aao' implying dissatisfaction with the ECI's process.
Kanhaiya Kumar addressed reporters emphasizing the need for active public dissent to safeguard democracy, stressing that silence could veer the parliament off track. Echoing similar sentiments, Sanjay Yadav criticized the voter list update procedure as 'non-transparent and misleading,' alleging alignment with BJP's interests. Despite these protests, ECI maintained that the enumeration process was progressing smoothly, with substantial collection of forms already achieved in initial weeks.
(With inputs from agencies.)
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