FIR against Rahul, Priyanka draws Congress ire over SIR protest

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday criticised the registration of an FIR against Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and others following Tuesday’s Opposition protest against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Ramesh accused the government and the Election Commission of targeting Opposition leaders who have been raising concerns over the voter-list revision exercise. In a post on X, he said Rahul Gandhi had been “relentlessly exposing” what the Congress describes as a “vote chori conspiracy”.

“For almost two years now, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has been relentlessly exposing, through factual evidence, the Vote Chori conspiracy hatched between the PM & the HM on one side and the CEC on the other,” Ramesh said.

He alleged that “crores of genuine voters” had been deprived of their constitutional right to vote through what he termed the “atrocious process of SIR - Shahenshah Instigated Removal”.

Ramesh said the Congress had adopted the method of “Satyagraha” to highlight what it considers injustices arising from SIR, but alleged that the response had been an FIR against Rahul Gandhi and other leaders.

“And when the LOP-LS adopts the method of satyagraha to highlight the injustices of SIR, the Delhi Police registers an FIR against him and other leaders,” he posted.

Ramesh further said, “The diabolical duo is nervous, rattled and desperate. The writing on the wall is clear.”

The Congress remarks came after Delhi Police registered a case against Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and others for allegedly entering the Akashvani Bhawan premises without permission during Tuesday’s Opposition march towards the Election Commission headquarters.

The INDIA bloc march began from Parliament and was aimed at reaching the Election Commission office, with Opposition leaders demanding action over their concerns regarding SIR and seeking the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

The march was stopped by police near Akashvani Bhawan. Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and some other leaders subsequently entered the premises and staged a sit-in, despite police asking them to leave. The protesters remained there for several hours before Delhi Police detained them.

The FIR followed a complaint alleging that the leaders and others accompanying them had entered the premises without permission. The police action was therefore linked to the alleged unauthorised entry into the public broadcaster’s premises, rather than directly to the political allegations surrounding SIR.

The protest reflects the continuing political confrontation between the Opposition and the Election Commission over the electoral-roll revision exercise. Opposition parties have raised concerns about possible exclusion of eligible voters, while the Election Commission has rejected allegations of wrongdoing.

The latest developments come amid a wider Opposition campaign demanding greater scrutiny of the SIR process and accountability from the poll panel.