Bhubaneswar: BJD MPs Manas Mangaraj and Sulata Deo on Tuesday joined the INDIA bloc MPs’ protest march towards the Election Commission in New Delhi, while reiterating that their party is neither with the INDIA alliance nor the NDA.
The Opposition MPs marched from the Parliament House complex towards the Election Commission to protest over issues including alleged “vote chori” and delimitation. The march was stopped by police on Parliament Street, where the MPs staged a dharna and demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Although the BJD is not a constituent of the INDIA bloc, its MPs participated in the protest march.
Deo said the BJD had joined the protest but made it clear that the party maintained its independent political position.
“BJD is joining the protest march, but our leader Naveen Patnaik has already made it clear that we are neither with the INDIA alliance nor the NDA. We are a responsible regional political party,” Deo said.
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh said the protest march to the Election Commission was stopped in front of the Akashvani building, close to Nirvachan Sadan.
In a post on X, Ramesh said the march consisted of MPs from the INDIA bloc and noted that BJD MPs had also joined the protest.
“Today’s protest march to the Election Commission, which was stopped in front of the Akashvani building, close to Nirvachan Sadan, consisted of MPs of the INDIA bloc. BJD MPs also joined. Other Opposition parties were present, no doubt in spirit, as would have been some who are temporarily in the NDA,” Ramesh said in his post on X.
Ramesh also asserted that the Opposition’s solidarity against what he described as the “nefarious designs” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah would continue.
Taking a swipe at the BJP, Ramesh said the “countdown to the exit of the Bharatiya Jhoot Party” had already begun.
“The solidarity of the Opposition to defeat the nefarious designs of the PM-HM duo will most definitely be sustained, whether it comes to Vote Chori or Delimitation. The countdown to the exit of the Bharatiya Jhoot Party has already begun,” Ramesh said in his post on X.
The INDIA bloc MPs, including Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, were stopped by police on Parliament Street.
Several MPs were later detained and taken away in buses.
The participation of the BJD MPs in the protest came despite the regional party’s stated position of maintaining equidistance from both the INDIA bloc and the NDA.
