The BJP described the proposed Jantar Mantar protest in New Delhi against CEC Gyanesh Kumar as a failure, while allegations of voter deletions, vote theft and the detention of protest organisers drew attention to the political confrontation.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday described a proposed protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi as a “flop show”, claiming that attempts to disrupt normalcy in the national capital had failed. The party asserted that peace prevailed across the country amid a political confrontation over allegations of voter deletions and “vote theft” during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The BJP’s remarks came as the proposed protest, organised by the CJP against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, sought to raise concerns over the revision of electoral rolls and alleged irregularities in the voting process.
Addressing a press conference, BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra criticised the protest and the way events at Jantar Mantar were being portrayed on television and social media. He said the scenes being shown did not reflect the broader situation in the country.
“What is happening at Jantar Mantar, what is being shown on television, and how some social media handles are portraying Jantar Mantar do not reflect India’s story,” Patra said.
Claiming that the country remained peaceful and continued to move forward under good governance, the BJP spokesperson accused certain elements of attempting to create disorder in a part of Delhi over the preceding days.
Patra said the protest had failed to achieve its alleged objective of disrupting normal life and creating unrest in the national capital. He described the gathering as a “flop show” and maintained that the situation remained under control.
“The attempt was to hold India hostage, hold the national Capital hostage, that there be arson and violence here,” Patra said, adding that, in his view, “loktantra” had prevailed over “bheedtantra”.
The BJP spokesperson further asserted that the protest would not continue to create disruption. His remarks reflected the party’s position on the demonstration, which was organised amid continuing political differences over electoral-roll revisions and allegations of irregularities in the election process.
The proposed demonstration also drew attention after reports emerged that CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke and the organisation’s spokespersons, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, had been detained at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi.
According to the information provided by the CJP, the three were detained as they arrived at the airport ahead of the planned protest. Dipke subsequently posted a video that reportedly showed Delhi Police personnel entering the aircraft and taking action against the CJP members.
The circumstances surrounding the detentions, including the specific grounds for police action, were not detailed in the information available.
Social media influencer Dhruv Rathee was also reportedly detained at his residence in Gurugram in connection with the developments surrounding the proposed demonstration.
In a post on its X account, the CJP claimed that around 50 police personnel in plain clothes reached Rathee’s residence at approximately 8 am and took him into custody. The claim was attributed to the organisation, and further details about the circumstances and legal grounds of the reported detention were not provided in the supplied information.
The reported detentions added another dimension to the political controversy surrounding the planned gathering. The protest was intended to highlight allegations of voter deletions during the SIR exercise and claims of “vote theft”, issues that have featured in the wider political debate over electoral processes.
The BJP, meanwhile, rejected the characterisation of the developments as representative of the country’s broader situation and maintained that the protest had failed to disrupt public order.
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The episode highlighted the continuing disagreement between political groups over electoral-roll revisions, the role of the Election Commission and allegations concerning the integrity of electoral processes.
While the BJP characterised the proposed demonstration as unsuccessful, the allegations raised by the protest organisers and the reported detentions remained central to the unfolding political dispute. Further clarification from the authorities regarding the reported police action and the grounds for the detentions was not included in the supplied information.
