NEW DELHI: On Wednesday afternoon, Congress and INDIA bloc leaders were meeting for lunch at a restaurant on Janpath. Within an hour, they were boarding buses and heading towards Jantar Mantar for a protest.The demonstration quickly took a different turn when Delhi Police stopped the buses on Ashoka Road, setting off another confrontation between Congress leaders and the police.The episode was the latest example of a ‘dhappa’ style protest that Rahul Gandhi and the Congress have recently used.The latest episode began after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge announced an INDIA bloc sit-in at Jantar Mantar following the lunch.“Today, we will hold a sit-in protest at Jantar Mantar. Until our demands are met, we will continue to stage such protests,” Kharge announced.Delhi Police stopped the buses carrying the MPs and officers, citing a Supreme Court directive, said permission for protests at Jantar Mantar had to be sought at least 10 days in advance.The confrontation soon escalated. Congress MPs climbed on top of a bus, while Amarinder Singh Raja Warring said, “This is Rahul Gandhi’s ‘sena,’ we won’t stop.”Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other women MPs lay down on the road, while Congress workers punctured the tyres of the bus carrying Rahul Gandhi.Priyanka alleged that she was manhandled, while TMC MP Mahua Moitra alleged a lathi-charge. Police eventually detained the MPs following a brief struggle.The events followed a similar sequence a day earlier, when Rahul announced that INDIA bloc MPs would march from Parliament House to the Election Commission headquarters to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.This time, too, police were prepared. Barricades, paramilitary personnel and traffic diversions were put in place. Rahul climbed a barricade and waved the national flag before the march was stopped and several leaders were detained.But the protest did not end there.As MPs were being put into buses, Priyanka boarded one and Rahul appeared ready to follow. The two then changed course and entered the nearby Akashvani Bhawan premises.They sat under a tree near Gate No. 4, where broadcasting staff gathered outside to watch. KC Venugopal, Pawan Khera, Imran Pratapgarhi and Srinivas BV joined them, while other Congress workers climbed the boundary wall and raised slogans.Congress later circulated a video of the detour with a “dhappa” caption. After nearly nine hours, police forcibly removed Rahul, Priyanka and the other protesters.Delhi Police registered an FIR over their “unauthorised” entry into the premises. Rahul subsequently used the case as part of his political messaging.“I have 45 FIRs against me. My goal is to have 100. I want 100 FIRs to be registered against me. Every FIR is a medal for me,” he told reporters on Wednesday.The same approach had surfaced earlier on July 21, a day after police action against students and young people protesting at Jantar Mantar over the NEET paper leak.Congress MPs had initially been asked to assemble at party president Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence at 10 Rajaji Marg to wish him on his birthday. Most MPs were not told about the larger plan in advance so that police could not prepare for the protest.After both Houses of Parliament were adjourned, Rahul and Priyanka walked towards the gate of 7 Lok Kalyan Marg, the Prime Minister’s residence, around 500 metres away. Kharge and other MPs followed them.The leaders tied plastic bands around their hands and demanded the resignations of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and then education minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the alleged treatment of students during the march to Parliament.The government sent minister of state in the PMO Jitendra Singh and Union home secretary Govind Mohan to the spot. Jitendra Singh tried to convince Rahul to call off the protest, saying the area was not designated for demonstrations and that “It was causing significant inconvenience to the public.”
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Rahul, Priyanka and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav were eventually removed by police and taken to Mandir Marg and Chhatrasal Stadium before being released.For Congress, the approach has also produced a dramatic visual narrative.The recent protests are centred on the demand for Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation after a report said Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had formally objected at least 14 times in 10 months to decisions taken without their knowledge.The Election Commission has rejected the suggestion of a breakdown in functioning, saying disagreements are normal in a multi-member body and that decisions were taken unanimously. The matter is before the Supreme Court.BJP chief Nitin Nabin, meanwhile, accused Rahul of working with anti-social elements and spreading anarchy.