The former deputy chief minister tried to muscle his way through but he was caught hold of by the police personnel. Photo: PTI
Tejashwi Yadav, INDIA bloc leaders stopped during Bihar protest march
Opposition leaders marching to Lok Bhavan over alleged irregularities in Bihar’s Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls were stopped by barricades and police
Patna, Oct 8 (PTI) The opposition INDIA bloc in Bihar, led by RJD working president Tejashwi Yadav, hit the streets on Thursday to press the demand for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation over alleged irregularities in Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
Leaders of the RJD, the Congress, the Left and some smaller allies, many of them members of Parliament or the state legislature, gathered at "Shaheed Smarak", a memorial of the martyrs of the Quit India movement, situated adjacent to the Vidhan Sabha premises, for the march to Lok Bhavan.
Barely a hundred metres onwards, though, close to the office of the Election Commission here, the opposition leaders encountered barricades and a heavy contingent of police, armed to the teeth.
"It is appalling. We have informed the honourable governor that we will be visiting him in a peaceful procession. Yet I can see a few police personnel brandishing AK-47 rifles. This is the dictatorial attitude of the ruling NDA that Gyanesh Kumar is abetting", alleged Yadav, who is also the leader of the opposition in the state assembly.
The former deputy chief minister tried to muscle his way through but he was caught hold of by the police personnel as soon as he clambered atop the barricades.
In the melee, many leaders were seen tripping on the road, and CPI(ML) leader and former MLA Ajit Kushwaha fainted, only to be taken away by the police for medical aid.
"The leader of the opposition and some others were taken to the Lok Bhavan where they met the governor. We have detained some protesters who were very unruly. Action will be taken in accordance with law,", Patna Senior Superintendent of Police Kartikeya Sharma told PTI.
RJD MP Misa Bharti, the eldest sister of Yadav, was also a part of the procession.
She told reporters, "You can see that our procession was peaceful and there was no law and order crisis. Still, the police acted in a high-handed manner. We are up against this very attitude of the powers that be."
After emerging from the Lok Bhavan, Yadav told reporters, "We recently saw the police opening fire on students. It seems the opposition leaders are next on the hit list of the dictatorial regime."
He also paraphrased a popular children's rhyme to take a swipe at the CEC and his alleged attempts to "help the ruling BJP gain an unfair advantage in elections".
"Gyanu, Gyanu, yes papa. Stealing votes, no papa. Open the newspaper, ha ha ha", said Yadav.
Despite the heavy deployment of police, hundreds of INDIA bloc leaders had managed to sneak close to the Lok Bhavan while Yadav and some other delegates were with Governor Lt Gen (Retd) Syed Ata Hasnain.
At the time, state BJP president Sanjay Saraogi happened to turn up at the Lok Bhavan, only to be jeered by slogans like "vote chor kahaan milenge, BJP ke daftar mein".
RJD MLC Sunil Kumar Singh tried to climb atop the bonnet of the vehicle, only to be dragged down by the police before the car rushed inside the premises.
Among those who accompanied Yadav during the meeting with the governor was state Congress president Rajesh Kumar Ram, who turned up wearing handcuffs and told reporters, "This is to highlight the fact that democracy is in chains".
Former state minister Mukesh Sahni, who heads Vikassheel Insan Party, was also part of the delegation.
He told reporters, "The governor has said that he will forward our memorandum to the authorities concerned. Though we know nothing is going to come of it. We must brace for a long fight." PTI