‘Whatever Is Required Will Be Done’: INDIA Bloc Marches To ECI Amid Heavy Barricading

New Delhi: The opposition INDIA bloc on Tuesday kicked off its protest march towards the Election Commission of India (ECI) headquarters in the national capital, with Samajwadi Party MP Dharmendra Yadav asserting that demonstrators would "do whatever is required" to reach Nirvachan Sadan despite heavy security barricades. 

Security personnel in large numbers were deployed across Central Delhi, and multi-layered barricades have been placed along key routes leading to the Commission's office to prevent the protesting parliamentarians from moving forward.    

Hitting out at the ruling party, Yadav rejected the Bharatiya Janata Party’s allegations that the opposition was undermining constitutional institutions, pointing to changes made to the appointment mechanism of election commissioners. 

"The BJP should feel ashamed saying this; they have no right to speak on it. They removed the Chief Justice of India from the appointment panel of the Election Commission and included a minister from their own cabinet. With what credibility does the BJP speak after expelling 150 Members of Parliament to pass laws?" Yadav told ANI. 

The Samajwadi Party lawmaker further questioned why the ruling party was issuing public justifications on behalf of the poll watchdog. 

"The Election Commission should provide its own clarification. Who is the BJP to offer justifications on their behalf? The opposition's questions are directed at the Election Commission—why is the BJP coming to their defense? They are defending them because the Election Commission does whatever the BJP tells them to do," he claimed. 

Asked whether the march would be able to breach the barricades, Yadav said, “We will definitely take it there. Whatever is required will be done. These security personnel are also citizens of this country. They too care about the democracy of this nation, the voter list, and their Old Pension Scheme (OPS). When the fight for democracy is fought, everyone will stand together." 

Joining the demonstration, Congress Rajya Sabha MP Imran Masood criticised the extensive police deployment in the capital, likening the atmosphere to an Emergency. "They have completely sealed off Delhi from all sides. If this isn't an Emergency, then what is? An institution trusted for 70 years has had its credibility shattered by one individual. Even after such harsh strictures from the Supreme Court, doesn't he have the basic morality to resign? He must resign," Masood said, referring to CEC Gyanesh Kumar. 

Masood also questioned the BJP's counter-offensive, asserting that the ruling party's intervention indicated a "nexus" between the government and the election watchdog. 
Congress MP Dr Dharamveer Gandhi said, "13 crore votes have been deleted, and those people have been deprived of their democratic right to vote. This is the biggest fraud in Indian political history, committed by the current government against the people of India with the cooperation of Gyanesh Kumar... We are going to fight to restore democracy, preserve the dignity of democratic institutions..."  

The march comes amid the Opposition's sustained campaign against alleged discrepancies in electoral rolls and its demand for greater transparency from the poll panel. Leaders of several INDIA bloc parties will participate in the march and raise their concerns before the Election Commission (EC). The protest is part of a broader "Save Democracy" campaign announced by the Opposition, under which its leaders have been holding demonstrations and public programmes against the EC. The march to Nirvachan Sadan is expected to further intensify the political confrontation between the Opposition and the poll panel over electoral roll-related issues.