Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has criticised the extensive security restrictions imposed across Delhi ahead of the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) proposed demonstration at Jantar Mantar, questioning the government’s response to citizens raising concerns about electoral integrity.
With Delhi Police detaining CJP leaders and hundreds of protesters on Saturday, Tharoor argued that a government confident in the fairness of elections should address public concerns rather than rely on force and restrictions. He also questioned the suspension of internet services in parts of central Delhi and the closure of roads leading to the designated protest venue.
In a series of posts on X, the Congress leader accused the authorities of creating an atmosphere of repression instead of encouraging democratic expression.
‘A Confident Government Would Welcome Questions,’ Says Tharoor
Taking aim at the security measures, Tharoor said the government should respond to questions about elections rather than treat peaceful demonstrations as a threat.
"A government confident in the fairness of its elections would welcome questions about them, whereas one that turns its capital into a fortress to avoid them only deepens the very suspicions it seeks to suppress," Tharoor posted on X.
He further called for dialogue instead of a forceful response to the protesters.
"The government should provide answers, not lathis; expression, not repression. Barricades will do nothing to restore faith in the Election Commission, and the sooner it answers the public's questions, the sooner calm will be restored," he added.
Tharoor Cites Heavy Security, Metro Closures And Train Cancellations
Describing the situation in the national capital, Tharoor said he had rarely witnessed security restrictions on such a scale. He pointed to checkpoints, concrete barricades and spike strips on roads, alongside a large deployment of police and paramilitary personnel.
"I returned to the national capital after 2 am and have rarely seen anything like what Delhi is witnessing now, with checkpoints every few hundred metres, concrete barriers and spike strips laid across our roads, a war-like deployment of 22,000 police and paramilitary across the city, 250 trains cancelled and 45 Metro stations closed, and reports of young people being detained from their own homes and the streets in and around Delhi - all to prevent citizens from peacefully raising questions about the integrity of our elections."
The MP questioned whether such extensive arrangements were justified to prevent citizens from assembling and expressing their concerns.
‘Most Regressive’ Move: Tharoor Questions Internet Suspension
Tharoor also criticised the reported internet suspension in central Delhi, describing the restrictions as both regressive and repressive. He argued that the curbs on movement undermined the purpose of designating Jantar Mantar as a space for public demonstrations.
"Most regressive (as well as repressive) is the suspension of the internet in the heart of the national capital. Freedom of movement stands completely shackled. Jantar Mantar was designated precisely so that citizens could voice dissent in the centre of Delhi, and today even the roads leading to it have been declared out of bounds."
He further questioned why the government could not deploy comparable resources and urgency to address women's safety in the capital.
"One is entitled to ask where this extraordinary manpower and urgency disappear when women in our capital need protection," he said.
Tharoor Coins ‘Emer-GenZ’ As CJP Protesters Are Detained
In another sharp remark, Tharoor used the term ‘Emer-GenZ’, combining the word Emergency with Gen Z to criticise the restrictions imposed on the demonstrators.
He questioned whether authorities would repeat the security lockdown if protesters returned to Jantar Mantar on Monday.
"Those detained will have to be released. And if the protesters simply return on Monday, will the authorities lock down the national capital all over again? Our GenZ deserves better than an undeclared Emer-GenZ."
The remarks came after Delhi Police detained CJP leaders and hundreds of demonstrators on Saturday in an operation aimed at preventing the planned protest at Jantar Mantar against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
