India

Congress Accuses Modi of ‘Undeclared Emergency’ Over Delhi Protest Crackdown

By Himanshi Sharma

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday accused the Narendra Modi government of imposing an “undeclared Emergency” after a youth‑led protest in Delhi was met with a heavy security response. Kharge said opposition leaders would meet the Chief Justice of India (CJI) on Monday evening to raise concerns about the crackdown.

The protest, organized by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), took place on Saturday and called for the resignation of the chief election commissioner over alleged voter‑roll irregularities. Delhi was sealed, mobile internet was blocked at several locations, and thousands of security personnel were deployed. Delhi police reported that nearly 2,500 people were detained, including CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke and leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka.

The arrests also included opposition figures such as former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, former Tripura chief minister Manik Sarkar, CPI(M) general secretary MA Baby and CPI(ML) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya.

Kharge highlighted that about 32,000 police and 7,500 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were deployed, totaling 39,500 security forces for the day. He said this reflected the government’s fear of youth agitation and described the measures as curbs on ordinary life, including road blockages, communication disruptions, restricted airport access and mobile network shutdowns.

An executive magistrate court released Dipke and the other CJP leaders on the condition that there be no breach of peace for one year. The party vowed to continue the protest, but the turnout was small under the heavy security.

Both Kharge and Lok Sabha opposition leader Rahul Gandhi have written to the CJI and requested a meeting between 4 pm and 5 pm on Monday. Gandhi accused Amit Shah’s Delhi police of thuggery and alleged that RSS and BJP workers were encouraged to attack women and youth. He warned that the anger of Gen Z and students would grow with each act of suppression.

Kharge criticized a 2023 law that changed the appointment process for the chief election commissioner and shielded poll officials from legal proceedings. He said the law enabled vote theft, EVM manipulation and electoral fraud, granting lifelong immunity to election officials.

The Centre and the BJP did not immediately respond to the remarks. The Monday meeting will bring the judiciary into a widening political confrontation, with opposition leaders from Bengal, Delhi, Kerala, Tripura and the Left sharing grievances over the Delhi crackdown.

Kharge stated that Congress would not back down and would continue to fight to protect democracy and constitutional rights.