Rahul says fight is for ‘one man, one vote’ as police detain him during SIR protest

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Monday (August 11) was detained by the Delhi Police during the Opposition’s March to the Election Commission’s office from the Parliament.

‘Fight is not political’

Speaking to reporters, Rahul said that the Centre was unable to talk on the issue of electoral malpractices, and the truth was in front of the country.

He also said that the Opposition’s agitation was not a political fight but a fight to save the constitution.

“The reality is that they cannot talk. The truth is in front of the country. This fight is not political. This fight is to save the Constitution. This fight is for One Man, One Vote. We want a clean, pure voters' list,” said Rahul as quoted by ANI.

Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who was also detained by the police, said that the Centre was "scared" and dubbed it a “ coward.”

Also Read: ‘Vote chori’ claims: EC says documents shown by Rahul don't belong to poll body

Vows to safeguard voters' rights

Later in the day, Rahul vowed to the voters’ right to a “clean and transparent” electoral roll.

“Today, when we were going to meet the Election Commission, all the MPs of the INDIA alliance were stopped and taken into custody. The truth of vote theft is now before the country. This fight is not political—it is a fight to protect democracy, the Constitution, and the right to ‘one person, one vote.’ The united opposition and every voter in the country demands: a clean and transparent voter list. And, we will secure this right at all costs,” he stated in a post on X.

Several INDIA Bloc MPs detained

Apart from Rahul and Priyanka, several INDIA bloc MPs, including Sanjay Raut and Sagarika Ghose, who were protesting against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and staged a march from Parliament to the Election Commission of India, were detained by the Delhi Police.

Earlier in the day, along with Rahul, opposition leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge and Sharad Pawar, led a protest march from Parliament House to the Election Commission headquarters against the SIR exercise in Bihar. The march was halted by police at Transport Bhawan.

Also Read: 'Vote chori': Congress launches portal, urges people to 'register'

‘MPs try to scale barricades’

Wearing white caps marked with a red cross over the words “SIR” and “vote chori,” the MPs shouted slogans, carried placards, and sang the national anthem before setting off from Parliament’s Makar Dwar. Barricades and heavy police presence were in place to stop them from proceeding further, with announcements made via loudspeaker instructing them to halt.

The protest saw participation from leaders such as T R Baalu (DMK), Sanjay Raut (SS-UBT), Derek O'Brien (TMC), Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (Congress), Akhilesh Yadav (Samajwadi Party), and members from DMK, RJD, and Left parties.

Some, including TMC’s Mahua Moitra and Sushmita Dev, along with Congress MPs Sanjana Jatav and Jothimani, scaled the barricades, raising slogans against the Election Commission and demanding the rollback of SIR. Later that day, INDIA Bloc leaders planned to meet election commissioners to directly present their concerns.