Monsoon Session: Rahul, Priyanka released from detention; LS passes I-T Bill
MPs from several parties marched from Parliament to the Election Commission but were stopped midway by police amid high drama
All the Opposition MPs detained on their way to the Election Commission office on Monday (August 11) to voice their protest against the revision of electoral rolls in Bihar and alleged “vote chori” were released after about two hours, police officials said.
More than 30 MPs, including Congress’ Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut and TMC's Sagarika Ghose, were detained and taken to the Parliament Street Police Station. The Election Commission had only given permission to 30 MPs to enter its premises but the protesters were in “large numbers”, officials said.
Besides, no one had sought permission for the protest march to the Election Commission, they said.
The MPs from various parties took out a protest march from Parliament House to the Election Commission headquarters, about a kilometre away, but were stopped midway by police amid high drama.
Subsequently, Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge returned to Parliament, and the proceedings of both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha began. Despite protests, the Lok Sabha passed two important Bills.
Earlier in the day, Opposition MPs, including Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, and Sharad Pawar took out the march to protest against the voter roll revision in Bihar. However, they were stopped by police midway at Transport Bhawan.
Wearing white caps with a red cross on the words 'SIR' and "vote chori", the protesting MPs raised slogans against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Bihar while carrying placards and banners. Before embarking on the protest march at Parliament's Makar Dwar, they sang the national anthem.
Police had made elaborate arrangements and placed barricades next to the Transport Bhawan on Parliament street to stop the protesting MPs from moving forward. The police asked the MPs not to proceed further and made announcement through a loudspeaker, as they were prevented from moving forward to the Election Commission headquarters, a short distance from Parliament House.
Prominent among those who participated in the march were T R Baalu (DMK), Sanjay Raut (SS-UBT), Derek O'Brien (TMC), Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Samajwadi Party's Akhilesh Yadav, as well as other MPs from opposition parties like the DMK, the RJD, Left parties.
TMC MPs Mahua Moitra and Sushmita Dev and Congress' Sanjana Jatav and Jothimani climbed the barricades at Transport Bhawan and raised slogans against the EC when they were prevented from moving forward by the police.
They held posters and raised slogans, demanding a rollback of the SIR.
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