'Puppet Gyanesh will go to jail': Opposition turns up heat on CEC, Modi, Shah and BJP at Delhi rally
New Delhi: Tens of thousands of demonstrators and top leaders from India's opposition parties gathered at the historic Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi on Sunday to launch a scathing attack against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Organised under the banner of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc, the 'Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao' (Save the Vote, Save the Country) mega rally marked a major confrontation over alleged widespread electoral irregularities and voter list manipulation across the country.
The Sunday demonstration followed a public 'impeachment' programme held in the national capital on Saturday, 31 October, directed against the Chief Election Commissioner. On Sunday morning, supporters and party workers from across the country converged at the Minto Road-Connaught Place junction to launch their 'Chalo Delhi' or 'Dilli Chalo' protest march, proceeding in a massive procession towards Ramlila Maidan. Prominent leaders from across the political spectrum stood together on the dais—including Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, senior Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) Working President Tejashwi Yadav, Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, Left Front figures including All India Students' Association (AISA) President Neha Bora, and Congress Member of Parliament Shashi Tharoor.
What triggered the massive opposition protest in Delhi
The primary driver behind the massive mobilization at Ramlila Maidan is the Election Commission of India's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Opposition parties contend that this administrative revision is being illegally used to delete millions of eligible citizens from voter registers, thereby altering election outcomes in favour of the ruling BJP.
On his way to the demonstration, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor clarified that the protest was not merely a partisan political exercise. He explained that the gathering was aimed at safeguarding the fundamental constitutional rights of ordinary Indian citizens rather than advancing the interests of any specific political party.
"This is not about parties, this is not about Congress, this is about the very simple message that the constitutional rights of the Indian people should not be taken away by the Election Commission," Tharoor said. "What they did was simply wrong; you cannot cut 130 million voters. This is not acceptable; what we need is an absolutely clean election register." He added that the opposition was attempting to protect the constitutional rights of the people of the country.
Millions of voters deleted in systematic exercise, leaders claim
Providing specific details regarding the scale of the alleged voter roll tampering, Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy alleged that the BJP was attempting to stay in power by systematically deleting the votes of poor citizens through the SIR exercise. Addressing party workers at Telangana Bhavan in Delhi before they marched to Ramlila Maidan, Reddy claimed that the BJP had previously won elections in Bihar, West Bengal, and Maharashtra by removing the votes of the poor.
Reddy stated that approximately 13.50 crore (135 million) voters have already been removed from the electoral rolls during the current revision, warning that the figure could rise to 20 crore (200 million) in the coming days. "The votes of the poor are being removed as part of a conspiracy to delete 15-20 per cent of votes in the country to help BJP come to power again," the Chief Minister claimed.
Reddy further alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi harboured a grudge against Dalits, Adivasis, religious minorities, and women after voters denied the BJP a majority on its own in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. He claimed that the BJP had aimed to win 400 seats in that election to "abolish the Constitution", end reservations, and strip women, Adivasis, and Dalits of their voting rights. Having seen that plan foiled by the electorate, Modi appointed Gyanesh Kumar as Chief Election Commissioner specifically to remove their names from the voter lists, Reddy alleged.
Opposition vows jail time and legal action for Chief Election Commissioner
The rally featured remarkably fierce attacks directed at Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Addressing the large crowd, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi asserted that the CEC would face removal from office and imprisonment over alleged "vote chori" (vote theft).
Rahul Gandhi predicted that Gyanesh Kumar would be held accountable for treason in the future. "Listen to me. What I say always turns out to be true, doesn't it? I am telling every citizen and every youth of India: Gyanesh Kumar will be removed from the post of Chief Election Commissioner. Gyanesh Kumar will go to jail," Gandhi told the crowd. He asserted that the current government's leadership owed its positions to the CEC, adding: "Without Gyanesh Kumar, neither Narendra Modi would have become Prime Minister nor Amit Shah would have become Home Minister."
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge called the gathering a "historic meeting" and demanded the immediate resignation of the CEC. Kharge declared that the INDIA bloc would not settle until Gyanesh Kumar resigned, accusing PM Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah of attempting to protect him. "Even if he tries to hide underground, we will bring him out from there. Our youth and women possess that strength," Kharge said.
RJD Working President Tejashwi Yadav similarly demanded that Gyanesh Kumar be tried for treason for taking away voting rights and stifling democracy. "This Gyanesh Kumar is a puppet of Narendra Modi. A case of treason should be registered against him, and he should be sent to jail so that in the future, no individual ever dares to destroy our nation's democracy, crush our democracy, or tamper with our Constitution," Yadav demanded.
Direct warnings issued to Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Shah
The opposition leaders turned their focus directly onto Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, accusing them of attempting to snatch the votes of youth, women, and minorities. Responding to a statement by Amit Shah that Modi was not going anywhere, Rahul Gandhi offered a direct counter.
"Amit Shah said Narendra Modi is not going anywhere. I would tell you Narendra Modi cannot go anywhere; even if he wants to go, we will not let him," Rahul Gandhi remarked. Warning of upcoming legal consequences, he added: "Narendra Modi ji and Amit Shah ji, understand this -- after Gyanesh Kumar, we will stand against you and don't forget that for the vote chori you have done, there will be legal action against you and Narendra Modi."
Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that the Prime Minister was undermining the democratic process by selecting his own voters rather than allowing citizens to choose their government. "Prime Minister Modi is attempting to create divisions among the public and snatch their votes. He himself chooses who will vote for him rather than being elected by the people," Kharge said. The Congress chief claimed that non-BJP state governments in Maharashtra, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh, as well as the Central government, had all come to power through vote theft, declaring: "Whether it is the Central government or governments of Maharashtra, Bihar or UP, all these came to power by vote theft, and we will drive out these thieves." Kharge called on the public to adopt the slogan: "Modi ko hatao, Loktantra Bachao" (Remove Modi, Save Democracy).
Allegations of widespread election manipulation and EVM tampering
Reviewing recent election outcomes, Rahul Gandhi claimed that electoral fraud was a widespread issue that affected multiple state assembly elections as well as the 2024 general election.
"For years, vote theft has been happening in this country. Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and the 2024 Lok Sabha elections: in all these elections, vote theft has occurred," Gandhi asserted. He explained that votes were stolen through Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and through changes, deletions, and additions to voter lists.
Gandhi claimed that 15 per cent of India's voters were deleted following the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, describing the poll as illegal and compromised. "It was a stolen election. I am not the one saying this; the Election Commission is saying this," Gandhi said, arguing that the Election Commission's own voter roll modifications proved that the election was stolen.
Connecting electoral integrity to the economic struggles of common citizens
In his address, Rahul Gandhi connected the question of electoral integrity to the daily economic struggles faced by common citizens across India. He pointed out that ordinary workers, farmers, and young people were being denied their basic rights while national wealth was being concentrated among a tiny elite.
"The farmer is not getting his rights. The youth are not getting employment. The labourer is not getting his rights, and the entire wealth has gone into the hands of two or three people," Gandhi stated. "We do not want such an India, and we will not accept such an India."
When asked about his personal beliefs, the Leader of the Opposition stated that making the voice of the Indian people heard was his religion. Pointing to the vast turnout, he stressed that the gathering represented the voice of ordinary citizens rather than political leaders alone. "This is not the voice of a political party or leaders but the voice of youth, farmers, labourers, and it is declaring that 'we will not let democracy and Constitution be destroyed in India,'" he said.
Gandhi affirmed that the opposition would maintain a non-violent and loving approach in defending the Constitution. "No matter how much power and money you have, you are not bigger than the Constitution," he told the government. "Be it Modi, Shah or Gyanesh Kumar, we will not perpetrate violence against them. We will not spread hatred, we will work with love but we will not let them destroy the Constitution."
Invoking Mahabharata epics and Ramayana allegories at Ramlila Maidan
To convey their message to the public, opposition leaders drew upon well-known cultural and epic narratives. RJD Working President Tejashwi Yadav invoked the ancient Hindu epic Mahabharata and the battle of Kurukshetra to describe the political situation.
Yadav noted that while Ramlila Maidan is traditionally famous for Ramlila performances, the opposition was compelled to organise a 'Mahabharata' for those who steal votes. "You all know Mahabharata started from gambling and not from the battlefield. Now that Shakuni is playing his game, we are forced to turn this into Kurukshetra," Yadav said. "Whenever Shakuni rolled his dice, it would land exactly as Shakuni dictated - meaning there was dishonesty, and there was no level playing field." He asked the crowd to consider who represented Shakuni and where the loaded dice was being cast in the alleged vote theft.
Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy invoked the Ramayana, comparing Telangana Congress workers to the 'vanara sena'—the monkey-like beings who fought alongside Lord Rama to defeat the demon king Ravana in Sri Lanka.
"Like how the vanara sena marched in (Sri) Lanka to help Lord Ram in defeating Ravana, our vanara sena came from Telangana to New Delhi to defeat Modi who is like Ravana," Reddy claimed. He added that the resolve of workers at Ramlila Maidan must bring down the government, asserting that "Modi must inevitably return to Gujarat."
Disruption of train bookings and state intimidation alleged by Congress
The rally also highlighted complaints regarding government interference and intimidation. Chief Minister Revanth Reddy revealed that the Telangana Congress had sought to arrange transport for 15,000 party workers to Delhi via special trains. However, the railway department denied the train booking at the last minute after initially giving a false impression that trains would be made available.
Reddy questioned whether Prime Minister Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and CEC Gyanesh Kumar could crush the determination of Congress workers through such measures. "The resolve of our workers at Ramlila Maidan must bring down Narendra Modi's government. They must not rest until they achieve success," Reddy declared.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge directly addressed PM Modi regarding the use of central investigative agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). "Don't be under the assumption that all work is done by your police. We are not going to be afraid of ED, CBI and other government agencies used by you; instead, all of us at INDIA bloc will keep on fighting," Kharge stated.
Left Front criticises crackdown on protesters and draws colonial parallels
Left Front leaders at the rally lambasted the Modi administration over shrinking democratic freedoms and civil liberties. All India Students' Association (AISA) President Neha Bora condemned the government for using police force against citizens protesting on the streets with the national flag (Tiranga).
Bora accused the ruling party of adopting tactics used by British colonial rulers against Indian freedom fighters. "Who are you to ask the people of India to prove their citizenship? You have adopted the very tactics that your forefathers, the Britishers, used to employ," Bora charged. "Your forefathers made the freedom fighters sign peace bonds and sent them to jail. You are doing the same to people out on streets, protesting against your discriminatory policies. You are putting people behind bars, beating and caning people protesting with Tiranga in their hands."
Hailing the turnout as a testament to India's vibrant democracy, Bora challenged claims that independence began in 2014 or that history would end with the BJP. "You think that you will remain seated in Parliament, keeping the seats intact. You claim that the independence was achieved in 2014 and India's history will end with the BJP. This is not going to last forever," she warned, asserting that tyrants throughout history have ultimately been rooted out.
A united opposition movement pledges to defend Indian democracy
The INDIA bloc rally concluded with a collective pledge by opposition parties to continue their fight against electoral irregularities and the Special Intensive Revision process. The demonstration brought together major national and regional leaders on a shared platform, demonstrating opposition unity in the capital.
By linking voter list revisions and allegations against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to broader concerns about democracy, employment, and constitutional rights, the opposition sought to present its case directly to the common citizens of India. With demands for the CEC's resignation, warnings of legal action against top ministers, and promises of peaceful nationwide mobilization, the rally marked a significant moment in India's ongoing political discourse.