- Hundreds protest in Parliament Square against India’s election chief
- YouTuber Dhruv Rathee addresses rally in Hindi
- Smaller group of Modi supporters stages counter-protest
- Police keep rival groups apart as chants grow heated
HUNDREDS of people gathered at Mahatma Gandhi’s statue in Parliament Square on Saturday to protest against India’s chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the revision of the country’s voter lists, as a smaller group of Narendra Modi supporters staged a rival rally nearby.
The “Stop Vote Chori” (Stop Vote Theft) protest, organised by the youth wing of the Indian Overseas Congress and UK-based Indian student groups, featured YouTuber Dhruv Rathee as keynote speaker.
Across the statue, a counter-protest chanted “Modi, Modi”, with Metropolitan Police officers keeping the two groups apart. Tempers rose as each side tried to drown out the other’s chants.
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“We don’t want any foreign interference. I am here at Parliament Square to address Indians and NRIs,” Rathee told the crowd in Hindi, referring to non-resident Indians.
“It is important to spread the message against ‘vote chori’ in our country. These protests will stop the moment the chief election commissioner is replaced by a candidate that is chosen in agreement between the government and Leader of the Opposition,” he said.
His speech followed chants of “Inquilab Zindabad” (Long live the revolution) and “Vande Mataram” (I bow to thee, Mother), and a reading of the preamble to India’s Constitution.
The protest was backed by groups including Save Democracy, the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) UK and the South Asia Solidarity Group.
Counter-protest
The counter-protest was called by India Diaspora UK, which had urged supporters to gather in an “urgent appeal”.
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“The Indian diaspora in the UK stands firmly, shoulder to shoulder, with Modi Ji and his government in their vision of a strong, united and developed India,” said its founder, Hirdesh Gupta.
Growing protests in the UK
Saturday’s rally followed a smaller protest and counter-protest outside the High Commission of India in London on Friday.
It is the latest in a series of UK demonstrations since an “emergency protest” on Tuesday in support of the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which is demanding Kumar’s removal and an end to the voter list revision.
The Election Commission says the revision is intended to remove deceased, duplicate, relocated and otherwise ineligible entries.
(With inputs from PTI)
