Rahul Gandhi said “Jantar Mantar belongs to the people of India” after three CJP leaders were arrested for trying to enter the protest site.
The Congress stayed away from the CJP’s October 10 protest demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over the SIR.
Congress leaders had previously maintained their distance from the CJP, arguing that their campaigns against paper leaks and alleged voter list irregularities predated the group.
Rahul Gandhi’s public support for the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) comes after the Congress maintained its distance from the group, even as both raised concerns over paper leaks and alleged voter list irregularities.
The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha condemned the arrest of three CJP leaders who tried to enter Jantar Mantar, saying that waving the Tricolour during a peaceful protest was “not a crime”. His remarks follow the Congress’s decision to stay away from the CJP’s October 10 protest demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over issues linked to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
“Jailing youth for it is an act of cowardice. Students. Youth. Journalists. The INDIA bloc. Different banners, one cause. All protests are one: citizens demanding their constitutional rights. Jantar Mantar belongs to the people of India. We will reclaim it,” Gandhi said in a post on X.
According to The Indian Express, the CJP gained attention following a social media trend in May before leading a 17-day demonstration against paper leaks at Jantar Mantar in July.
As the CJP gained prominence, senior Congress leaders avoided publicly backing the group and maintained that the party had already been raising concerns over paper leaks and alleged voter list irregularities through its ‘Chhatron ki goonj’ and ‘vote chori’ campaigns.
On October 10, the CJP called for a protest march demanding Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over issues linked to the SIR of voter rolls. The Congress stayed away from the demonstration.
The Indian Express reported that the Congress’s absence stood out as the party and its allies had held a series of street protests in the preceding days.
