The Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has strongly criticised the government for the jailing of Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka.
Gandhi said Jantar Mantar belongs to the people and the opposition would fight to take back the capital’s most popular protest site. He has raised the temperature in the political environment regarding freedom of expression, public demonstrations and the restrictions on protest venues in the capital.
In a post on social media platform X today, Gandhi denounced the action against the two young political activists. Waving the national flag in a peaceful demonstration should not be treated as a criminal act, and the jailing of young protesters is cowardice, he said. He also appealed to the students, young people, journalists and opposition parties, who were also making a common cry for constitutional rights. “Jantar Mantar belongs to the people of India. We will take it back,” Gandhi said, making his position clear about the controversy surrounding the historic protest site.
The Congress leader's comments came after CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were sent to Tihar Jail for five days. They were detained after allegedly attempting to enter the Jantar Mantar to protest against the government's move to block the movement and to bypass security measures in the area, police sources said.
Activists were also reported to have been involved in a demonstration of the national flag and slogans, where protesters voiced concerns about the Election Commission and demanded that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar resign.
The controversy also follows the decision by the government to remove Jantar Mantar from the list of protest sites. The site has long been associated with demonstrations by political parties, farmers, students, trade unions and civil society organisations. Protesters have visited it for years to draw attention to problems of employment and education, corruption, public policy and government accountability.
And it is more than a location, as it is linked to citizens having a public forum to voice their complaints. The removal of protest site status has raised concerns among opposition leaders and activists about where and how demonstrations can take place in the capital.
Rahul Gandhi also may be trying to paint separate protests as part of a larger movement for democratic rights. Calling students, youth, journalists and the INDIA bloc a union of people who are all united in a common cause, he tried to stress the need for political and civil society organisations to collaborate.
Opposition parties have also challenged government policies that they say are biased, and have challenged electoral processes, including voter lists, with the voters. And opposition parties are rebuffing that on the part of the ruling side and the Election Commission. Gandhi’s comments are only going to help in the opposition’s campaign and show that the Jantar Mantar conflict is not only a fight between people, but a political fight.
The developments will keep the right to protest and public demonstration space at the heart of the national political dialogue. Gandhi has described the police action against the CJP leadership as an assault on democratic expression, but the police have said they violated restrictions in the case against the activists. How the dispute develops in court, and any future action on Jantar Mantar, will be crucial. For the moment, Gandhi’s pledge to reclaim the protest site has sent a clear political message: the Congress and its allies will keep challenging restrictions they feel are stifling citizens’ rights to show up and demand accountability from the public.
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