Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Leaders of the Cockroach Janta Party on Friday accused the Centre of imposing an “emergency” ahead of the party’s planned protest in New Delhi and questioned the security curbs put in place before the demonstration. The party is set to hold a march at Jantar Mantar on Saturday to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
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The party said the government’s measures to restrict movement and deny permission for the protest showed that it was “afraid of Gen Z”. The remarks came as Delhi Metro stations were shut, roads were blocked and several trains scheduled to arrive in the capital were cancelled. The Supreme Court, meanwhile, directed the Centre and authorities to ensure there was no complete stoppage of Metro and train movement to Delhi, saying everything could not be brought to a halt.
Speaking to reporters at the Mumbai airport after returning from Bengaluru, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said party volunteers would go ahead with the protest at Jantar Mantar on Saturday. Criticising the Centre’s pre-emptive curbs, he said the government had restricted public movement to stop demonstrators and added that the Centre “is afraid of Gen Z”.
“Shut down the entire country if you are so scared of the youth,” he said. At an event in Mumbai later in the evening, Dipke said the BJP-led Centre was afraid of Gen Z and challenged the government to arrest him. “I feel like laughing (at the government’s move). Delhi is not a private property of Narendra Modi and Amit Shah. On one hand, you say protests lead to inconvenience. On the other hand, you have shut down the Metro (stations), railways and blocked roads. Will this not lead to inconvenience?” he asked.
Questioning the deployment of security personnel, Dipke asked why forces were being moved from Kashmir and Naxal-hit areas to Delhi and said, “Why is the government treating the youth like Pakistanis?” He added that if his arrest was the answer to the country’s problems, the government should put him behind bars. He also targeted CEC Kumar, saying he must face punishment for what he had done and that the Special Intensive Revision must be scrapped.
CJP leader Saurav Das compared the situation to the Emergency and claimed party volunteers were being detained in BJP-ruled states, with some placed under house arrest. “Let’s not be under any illusion. Emergency has been imposed in the country and Delhi has turned into a fortress,” Das told reporters. He also said trains had not been shut down even during the Emergency. Referring to the Delhi Police denying permission for the protest at Jantar Mantar, he said it was absurd that one had to seek permission from the government to protest.
CJP leader Ashutosh Ranka said Jantar Mantar was a designated protest site. He said the demand for the CEC’s resignation had now become a secondary issue and that the denial of permission for the protest had become the main issue.
According to officials, 38 trains, including Mail and Express services originating in other states and scheduled to arrive at New Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin stations between 4 am and 2 pm on October 10, have been cancelled, while train operations at other stations in Delhi will remain normal. Entry and exit gates at 57 Delhi Metro stations, including Rajiv Chowk, New Delhi, Central Secretariat, Patel Chowk and Kashmere Gate, will remain closed from 9 pm on Friday till further notice due to security reasons ahead of the proposed protest.
The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Centre and authorities to ensure that there was no complete prohibition on movement by Delhi Metro and trains to the capital because of the CJP protest. A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana asked the Centre to allow services in a regulated manner, even as the party continued to question the curbs and insist that its protest would go ahead.
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
