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INDIA bloc rally LIVE: ‘Chalo Dilli’ march today; Rahul Gandhi urges protesters to shop local to support traders
INDIA bloc rally LIVE: The Opposition's ‘Chalo Dilli’ march will begin at noon from the Minto Road-Connaught Place junction. The march will culminate at Ramlila Maidan, where a mega rally is scheduled from 10am to 5pm.
- 22 Mins agoBJP's 1984 anti-Sikh riots protest to counter Oppn's ‘Chalo Dilli’ march
- 28 Mins agoSecurity deployed outside Ramlila Maidan
- 33 Mins agoLeft parties' supporters arrive in Delhi
- 37 Mins agoVisuals from Ramlila Maidan ahead of rally
- 45 Mins agoAPMA says daily wage labourers to suffer financial distress
- 47 Mins ago‘Chalo Dilli’ march to begin at 12 pm
- 56 Mins ago‘If we were in power, this issue would not have arisen,’ says Congress leader Meira Kumar
- 59 Mins agoCongress leader Priyanka Gandhi inspects preparations
- 1 Hr 11 Mins agoWho is expected to attend?
- 1 Hr 17 Mins agoPreparations underway for the Opposition rally
INDIA bloc rally LIVE: Leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has asked participants of the INDIA bloc rally in Delhi to make festival purchases to support local traders, asking them to “protest, march and shop.” INDIA bloc's ‘Chalo Dilli’ march against alleged electoral irregularities and to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar will begin at noon from the Minto Road-Connaught Place junction. The march will culminate at Ramlila Maidan, where a mega rally is scheduled from 10am to 5pm....Read More
The protest comes a day after the Opposition's mock impeachment of CEC Gyanesh Kumar, held at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's residence.
10,000 security personnel deployed; traffic diversions in place
Nearly 10,000 police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed in central Delhi on Sunday. The police say they will facilitate the march, which Gandhi announced on his Instagram. However, while INDIA bloc is expecting “nearly one million people” to attend their rally from across the country, the police have planned for about 50,000, the capacity of the Ramlila Maidan. Police have said any overflow would be held back on the surrounding streets.
Meanwhile, the Delhi Traffic Police has issued an advisory on route diversions and restrictions in parts of Central Delhi. The restrictions will remain in place from 10am to 5pm. The police listed 10 diversion points that include Netaji Subhash Marg T-Point, Rajghat, Delhi Gate and ITO A-Point.
Opposition's ‘impeachment’ of CEC; BJP calls it ‘drama’
Nineteen opposition parties on Saturday enacted the “impeachment” of CEC Gyanesh Kumar, in a mock parliamentary format. The 3.5-hour-long show, attended by more than 250 opposition lawmakers, was held at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence at Rajaji Marg after 4 PM.
In his concluding remarks, Gandhi described that the Opposition had to meet at Kharge’s garden as they have nowhere else to go. Gandhi warned Kumar and said “You have taken this game outside the legal framework, into rigging elections, you are our target.”
Why the protests against CEC Gyanesh Kumar?
While the Opposition has levelled allegations of “vote chori” and objected to the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in states several times in the past, a fresh row erupted against CEC Gyanesh Kumar after an Indian Express report last month.
The report said Election Commissioners had objected to decisions made by the CEC 14 times over a 10-month period. While the poll body maintained that all its decisions were unanimous, the report gave fresh momentum to the Opposition's allegations of “vote chori”, following which protests were called by student organisations, INDIA bloc parties and the Cockroach Janta Party.
INDIA bloc rally LIVE: 'Businessmen are worried,' says Dilip Ghosh
INDIA bloc rally LIVE: Speaking to reporters about Rahul Gandhi's appeal ahead of the Ramlila Maidan rally, West Bengal minister Dilip Ghosh said, “...For so long, they have ruined the markets in the name of protests, bringing commerce to a standstill. Businessmen are worried. Now they are suddenly calling on people to shop. But who will actually shop? They pay people to show up! It would certainly be a good thing if they did some shopping.”
INDIA bloc rally LIVE: Cutouts of Congress leaders outside Ramlila Maidan - Visuals
INDIA bloc rally LIVE: Cutouts of Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and others have been put up outside Ramlila Maidan ahead of the INDIA bloc's mega rally against CEC Gyanesh Kumar and the SIR.
INDIA bloc rally LIVE: BJP's 1984 anti-Sikh riots protest to counter Oppn's ‘Chalo Dilli’ march
INDIA bloc rally LIVE: While the Opposition is staging a ‘Chalo Dilli’ march at Ramlila Maidan, the ruling BJP is mounting a counter-offensive with a march in West Delhi to remember the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, ANI news agency reported.
The BJP had earlier accused the Congress of f holding a political rally on the anniversary of the violence. The BJP march will begin at 11:30 am from Hari Nagar Bus Depot to Tilak Nagar Metro Station in West Delhi, and will be led by Union minister Hardeep Puri and Delhi CM Rekha Gupta, among others.
INDIA bloc rally LIVE: Security deployed outside Ramlila Maidan
INDIA bloc rally LIVE: Security personnel have been deployed outside the Ramlila Maidan ahead of the INDIA bloc rally.
INDIA bloc rally LIVE: Left parties' supporters arrive in Delhi
INDIA bloc rally LIVE: Supporters of Left parties arrived at the New Delhi railway station to attend the INDIA bloc rally.
INDIA bloc rally LIVE: Visuals from Ramlila Maidan ahead of rally
INDIA bloc rally LIVE: Visuals from Ramlila Maidan in Delhi ahead of the INDIA bloc rally.
INDIA bloc rally LIVE: APMA says daily wage labourers to suffer financial distress
INDIA bloc rally LIVE: Key office-bearers of the Automotive Parts Merchant Association (APMA) told news agency ANI that while they are not opposed to democratic protests, the timing and choice of venue would affect trade.
“Ramlila Maidan is located in the middle of Asia’s largest commercial zone—with major markets like Chandni Chowk, Sadar Bazaar, Daryaganj, Mori Gate, and Kashmere Gate within a three-kilometre radius,” APMA president Vinay Narang said.
INDIA bloc rally LIVE: ‘Chalo Dilli’ march to begin at 12 pm
INDIA bloc rally LIVE: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a post said the ‘Chalo Dilli’ march would begin from the Connaught Place Minto Road Junction at 12 pm.
The protesters will then march to Ajmeri Gate and then Ramlila Maidan, where the INDIA bloc rally is scheduled to be held.
INDIA bloc rally LIVE: ‘If we were in power, this issue would not have arisen,’ says Congress leader Meira Kumar
INDIA bloc rally LIVE: Speaking on the opposition's allegations against CEC Gyanesh Kumar, former Lok Sabha speaker and Congress leader Meira Kumar told ANI news agency, “I stated at the very beginning: if we were in power and I were the Speaker, this issue would not have arisen in the first place...”
She further called for the resignation of the CEC.
INDIA bloc rally LIVE: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi inspects preparations
INDIA bloc rally LIVE: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi inspected preparations for the upcoming INDIA bloc mega rally at Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi, ANI news agency reported.
Meanwhile, ahead of the rally, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on October 31, urged protesters attending the November 1 INDIA bloc mega rally to support Delhi traders on the festive occasion of Diwali.
INDIA bloc rally LIVE: Who is expected to attend?
INDIA bloc rally LIVE: The march and the rally are not confined to the INDIA bloc's political constituents. The Opposition has also invited students, youth, women, workers and civil society members to join the demonstration, PTI news agency reported.
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and student organisations have also extended support to the rally.
INDIA bloc rally LIVE: Preparations underway for the Opposition rally
INDIA bloc rally LIVE: Preparations are underway for INDIA bloc's rally at the Ramlila Maidan on Sunday, with leaders and supporters from different states beginning to reach the Capital.
A large tricolour canopy has been erected over the main stage, and separate arrangements have been made for representatives of INDIA bloc parties.
