New Delhi, 15 October (H.S.): Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) chief Abhijeet Dipke and All India Students’ Association (AISA) national president Neha Bora have asserted that their struggle to protect electoral rights is not confined to any individual or political party, but is aimed at defending the rights of poor and ordinary citizens whose names have been deleted from electoral rolls.

Dipke and Bora jointly addressed a press conference at the Press Club on Thursday, raising concerns over the functioning of the Election Commission and police action against protesters. The press conference witnessed an uproar following Bora’s address. Senior advocate Prashant Bhushan, film actor Prakash Raj, and student leaders and activists from Left-wing organisations were also present.

Bora said the struggle to protect electoral rights did not belong to any one individual or political party. Instead, she said, it was being waged on behalf of ordinary and economically disadvantaged people across the country whose names had been removed from electoral rolls.

“Thirteen crore people have been removed from the electoral rolls. Therefore, this movement is not confined to any particular banner or flag. It remains alive in ordinary and poor households across India. From Freedom Park in Karnataka to Jantar Mantar in Delhi and Azad Maidan in Mumbai, the movement continues on the streets in different parts of the country,” Bora said.

She condemned the decision to remand two CJP spokespersons, Saurabh Das and Ashutosh Ranka, to five days of judicial custody.

“You have not merely detained two leaders; you have detained the voice of the entire country demanding its voting rights. This movement will not be stopped by police repression or repeated detentions,” she said.

Abhijeet Dipke Questions Police Deployment and Action Against Protesters

CJP chief Abhijeet Dipke questioned the heavy deployment of police personnel in Delhi and the action taken against demonstrators.

He alleged that, over the past 10 to 15 days, students, youth organisations, opposition leaders and former chief ministers, including Mamata Banerjee, Arvind Kejriwal and Pinarayi Vijayan, had been dragged along the streets.

Dipke questioned whether the measures were being taken solely in connection with Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

“Following the October 10 call for action, railway and Delhi Metro services were shut down. Security personnel were brought to Delhi from Jammu and Kashmir, making the capital resemble the India-Pakistan border. Why is Gyanesh Kumar so important to Prime Minister Narendra Modi? Should we assume that Gyanesh Kumar is helping him win elections?” Dipke asked.

Prashant Bhushan Says Electoral Reforms Were the Opposition’s Demand

Senior advocate Prashant Bhushan said the government had accused the Opposition of seeking a change of government. He maintained that the Opposition’s demand had been to correct the electoral process.

However, he argued that if the government continued what he described as brutal repression, it would inevitably lead to a change in government. He added that the Opposition was seeking a change in governance and broader systemic transformation.

Prakash Raj Claims More Than 200 Organisations Have Joined the Movement

Actor Prakash Raj claimed that more than 200 organisations from across the country, including farmers’ groups, trade unions and civil society organisations, had joined young people in the struggle.

He accused the government of attempting to make Jantar Mantar “disappear” but said the protesters would not allow that to happen.

Prakash Raj also said a group of lawyers had constituted an independent committee to investigate alleged police excesses and unlawful detentions. The committee, he said, included retired judges from the Patna High Court and other judicial institutions.

According to Prakash Raj, more than 100 people from Karnataka, Odisha, Rajasthan, Telangana and Delhi had gathered at Jawahar Bhawan to submit complaints and supporting evidence to the committee.

Prakash Raj accused Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of destroying evidence and demanded his immediate arrest. He also strongly condemned the alleged use of batons by police and security forces against students, women and members of the media.

“You cannot silence the voice of this country. We challenge the Union Government: if you have the courage, come here, face the media and answer the questions,” Raj said.

For several days, opposition parties, the CJP, student organisations and other groups have been staging protests in Delhi, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the immediate suspension of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar