Congress’s Pawan Khera denied claims of Rahul Gandhi manhandling a journalist. He announced the INDIA alliance will strategize future protests. Meanwhile, a plea by bloc leaders against the ECI’s voter roll revision faces objections in the Supreme Court.
Congress MP Pawan Khera on Tuesday strongly refuted claims that his party leader Rahul Gandhi manhandled a woman journalist during protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. “Rahul ji did not push anyone. That is completely false. I have no further comment on that. Everything is out in the open for everyone to see,” Pawan Khera said.
INDIA Alliance to Strategise Future Protests
Khera also emphasised that the collective alliance and associated movements would coordinate closely to push the protests forward. “The entire INDIA alliance, our allies involved in the student movement, and members of civil society associated with us will sit together to determine our future strategy, deciding how to take this protest forward in the coming days,” Pawan Khera told reporters.
Elaborating on the opposition’s broader objective, Khera added, “The upcoming agenda is how to take it forward in the coming days. The entire country is expecting from us that we will raise our voice, raise it in the right way and save the democracy of this country”
INDIA Bloc’s Plea Faces Hurdles in Supreme Court
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court Registry has flagged 14 defects in the writ petition filed by Rahul Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and nine other INDIA bloc leaders challenging aspects of the Election Commission of India’s (ECI’s) ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The petitioners include Rahul Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Saugata Roy, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut, CPI(M) MP MA Baby, CPI leader D Raja, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha MP Mahua Majhi, NCP (SCP) MP Supriya Sule and Indian Union Muslim League MP ET Mohammed Basheer.
Pertinently, the Registry has also sought clarification from the petitioners on why private parties — CEC Gyanesh Kumar and two ECs SS Sandhu and Vivek Joshi have been arrayed as respondents in the writ petition. The objection has been raised in the context of the petition being filed under Article 32 of the Constitution.
The petitioners have said they are approaching the Supreme Court over alleged irregularities in the exercise of the Election Commission’s powers during the SIR and have sought, among other reliefs, examination of the manner in which the poll panel took and implemented decisions relating to the electoral-roll revision. (ANI)
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