Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday accused the Narendra Modi government of imposing an “undeclared Emergency” and said Opposition leaders would meet the Chief Justice of India (CJI) on Monday evening to raise concerns over the crackdown on a youth-led protest in Delhi on Saturday.
“The Prime Minister and the home minister have created chaos across the country. An undeclared Emergency is prevailing, and we will continue to fight against it,” Kharge said.
The protests erupted on October 10 after the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) called for a major demonstration demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in electoral rolls.
Central Delhi witnessed extensive security restrictions, with several roads sealed, mobile internet services suspended at multiple locations and thousands of security personnel deployed across the capital.
Nearly 2,500 Detained As Opposition Leaders Face Police Action
More than 2,000 people were detained during Saturday’s protests, with Delhi Police putting the figure at nearly 2,500.
Among those detained were CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke and party leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, who were taken into custody after their flight landed in Delhi.
The party described the action as an attempt to “cripple the leadership” of a peaceful demonstration before its leaders could reach the protest venue.
Delhi Police maintained that the detentions were a precautionary measure to preserve law and order.
Several Opposition leaders attempting to participate in the protest were also detained, including former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and former Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar.
Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary MA Baby and Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya were also detained.
Kharge questioned the scale of the security arrangements.
“Yesterday, nearly 32,000 police personnel and 7,500 CRPF personnel were deployed. This itself shows how much fear the government has of the youth agitation,” he said.
According to the figures cited by Kharge, nearly 39,500 security personnel were deployed across Delhi during the protests.
He also criticised restrictions imposed on movement and communication services.
“As I have already stated, roads were blocked, communication channels were disrupted, access to the airport was restricted, and mobile networks were shut down. All this demonstrates that the government does not want democracy to function peacefully in India,” he said.
On Sunday, an executive magistrate court ordered the release of Dipke, Das and Ranka on the condition that they maintain peace for one year.
Although the CJP vowed to continue its agitation, Sunday’s turnout remained small amid the continued heavy security deployment.
Opposition Seeks Meeting With CJI, Rahul Gandhi Announces Fresh Protests
Kharge and Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi have written to the CJI seeking a meeting on Monday, October 12, between 4 pm and 5 pm.
“We cannot demand anything from him, but we will place our concerns before him with folded hands and request his intervention,” Kharge said.
Gandhi also criticised the police action, alleging that members of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were being encouraged to attack women and young protesters.
“Amit Shah’s Delhi police has itself descended into thuggery,” Gandhi said.
He asserted that attempts to suppress the protests would further intensify anger among Generation Z and students.
Gandhi challenged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to deploy 10,000, 20,000 or even 40,000 police personnel, maintaining that the demonstrations would continue despite the security crackdown.
“We are not the ones to get scared. We are not the ones to back down. This fight is not going to stop now!” Gandhi said.
He announced that the Congress, the INDIA alliance and young protesters would return to the streets on Monday.
Gandhi said the Opposition would also raise its concerns directly with the judiciary.
“On Monday, we will also meet the Chief Justice and demand that when the Constitution is being torn to shreds on Delhi’s streets and democracy is being crushed, the guardians of the law cannot sit with blindfolds on,” he said.
Kharge Questions Election Commission’s Independence, Targets 2023 Law
Kharge also questioned the functioning and independence of the Election Commission of India.
“The Election Commission is a constitutional body. It is an independent institution and has the authority to make decisions independently. However, it is not being allowed to make decisions independently,” he said.
He alleged that two members of the Commission had raised concerns about its functioning and claimed that no action had followed.
“Two members of the Election Commission have openly exposed how the Commission is functioning, what kind of irregularities are taking place in it, and what the members of the Commission themselves feel about this situation. Despite this, no action has been taken in this matter,” Kharge said.
The Congress president also criticised the 2023 law governing the appointment and service conditions of the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners.
The legislation replaced the CJI with a Union minister on the selection committee and provides legal protection to election officials for actions taken in the discharge of their official duties.
Kharge alleged that these provisions had weakened accountability and enabled electoral irregularities.
“After providing this protection, the entire process of vote theft, EVM manipulation, and electoral fraud was set in motion. No matter how many mistakes the CEC makes, they have been granted lifelong immunity from accountability for those mistakes,” he said.
The Election Commission has previously rejected allegations of vote theft. The Centre and the BJP had not immediately responded to Kharge’s remarks, according to reports available on Sunday.
Congress Vows To Continue Agitation Over Democratic Rights
The proposed meeting with the CJI comes amid growing Opposition criticism of the police action during the October 10 demonstrations.
The detention of political leaders from several states, including West Bengal, Delhi, Kerala and Tripura, along with Left party representatives, has become a common issue for Opposition parties protesting against the government.
With the INDIA alliance planning fresh demonstrations on Monday, the Opposition is seeking judicial intervention while continuing its protests over alleged restrictions on democratic rights.
Kharge maintained that the Congress would continue its agitation regardless of the outcome of the proposed meeting.
“We will continue our fight to protect democracy and the constitutional rights of the people,” he said.
