Congress protests in Delhi over rejection of Meenakshi Natarajan’s Rajya Sabha nomination; leaders stopped near 24 Akbar Road

NEW DELHI: Several Congress workers staged a protest outside the Congress headquarters at 24, Akbar Road, in the national capital on Friday against the rejection of senior party leader Meenakshi Natarajan’s Rajya Sabha nomination by the Election Commission of India (ECI).

The protesters were allegedly stopped by the Delhi Police as they attempted to march towards Rashtrapati Bhavan to seek an audience with President Droupadi Murmu and raise concerns over the issue. Heavy police deployment and barricading were put in place outside the Congress headquarters to maintain law and order.

Amid the protest, several senior Congress leaders, including Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Jitu Patwari and Leader of Opposition in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly Umang Singhar, climbed over barricades and raised slogans against the Election Commission. Some leaders and workers were later detained by the police and escorted onto buses.

#WATCH | Delhi | Madhya Pradesh Congress President Jitu Patwari got into a heated argument with the police who were trying to detain him during the Congress protest at Jantar Mantar. He was eventually dragged into a Police bus and detained.

Congress leaders have been holding a… pic.twitter.com/RuDq1nn8vk

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Madhya Pradesh LoP Umang Singhar criticised the President’s Office for allegedly declining the party’s request for a meeting.

“The President is the President of the country and not of any particular political party. The manner in which an email was sent refusing to meet us makes it clear that she is working as an agent of the BJP. Does the President not want to save democracy? Does she not want to stand with the country so that every minister and MP can freely contest elections? Does she not want to stand with the sentiments of the nation? I want to ask this,” Singhar said.

Senior Congress leader Ajay Singh Rahul present at the protest questioned the restrictions imposed on the party workers. “We too are stunned as to what the reason is. The President did not even grant us an appointment. Even if we want to march a short distance, there is a restriction on that as well. Democracy is completely finished; there is no democracy left,” he said.

Another Congress worker alleged that democratic institutions were being undermined.

“We were heading to Rashtrapati Bhavan, hoping that we would get justice from the President. But given the way they have effectively hijacked the President, all of us feel that democracy has been murdered in Madhya Pradesh. Everyone wanted to voice their concerns in a peaceful, Gandhian manner, but there is no one willing to listen. Democracy must be saved,” the worker said.

He further alleged, “The way the BJP government and the Election Commission have become puppets is truly shameful for the nation.”

Another protester said, “Earlier, votes were stolen. Then the youth’s jobs were stolen, examination papers were stolen, and today, a Rajya Sabha seat has been stolen in Madhya Pradesh. The day is not far when this entire country will be stolen too.” (ANI)