'India Is One Step Away From Dictatorship’: Aaditya Thackeray Slams EC After Rahul Gandhi & Other Opposition MPs Detained By Delhi Police

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray hit out strongly on Monday after high political drama unfolded in the capital, with Delhi Police detaining several senior opposition MPs, including Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, during a protest march to the Election Commission headquarters.

The march, organised to oppose alleged manipulation of electoral rolls in Bihar and what the opposition calls ‘vote chori’ (vote theft), began from Parliament but was stopped midway by heavy police barricades. In the ensuing chaos, multiple leaders were taken into custody.

Thackeray condemned the detentions in a scathing post on social media platform X.

“The police has arrested Members of Parliament, the Leaders of Opposition @RahulGandhi and @khargeji, who hold constitutional posts, for marching towards the fraud @ECISVEEP asking for data,” he wrote.

‘One Step Away from Dictatorship’

The former Maharashtra minister accused the Election Commission of undermining democratic values.

“The EC has ensured that India doesn’t have free and fair elections, and this arrest has shown the world that we are a step away from officially renaming our democracy to a dictatorship,” Thackeray added.

Women MPs Scale Barricades

The protest saw tense scenes as TMC MP Mahua Moitra and Congress MPs Sanjana Jatav and Jothimani climbed over barricades, raising slogans against the poll body. Demonstrators demanded greater transparency in the electoral roll revision process and accountability from the Election Commission.

Political Tensions Escalate

Footage of the detentions quickly spread across social media, heightening tensions between the opposition and the ruling establishment ahead of the polls. The confrontation has also renewed a nationwide debate on political freedoms and the role of the Election Commission in safeguarding democratic integrity.