New Delhi: The flags and banners fluttering at Ramlila Maidan Sunday were of many hues. People came from multiple states to participate at the “Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao” rally of the opposition INDIA bloc. Like at recent protests in Delhi against the SIR, many turned up because they felt they had to be there.While DDU Marg, which leads to Ramlila Maidan, was largely deserted as traffic barricades kept vehicles and people away, the road outside the historic rally venue presented a total contrast. Sloganeering supporters were everywhere.There were groups with Samajwadi Party flags featuring its chief Akhilesh Yadav’s face. BSP workers waved blue and white flags too. Supporters had arrived from different parts of Uttar Pradesh. There were people from Ghaziabad as also Lucknow.CPI flags were prominent. The presence of its cadre was also noticeable. Students and members of other Left organisations had reached Ramlila too.The political messaging was clear along the route. Rahul Gandhi, the Congress leader of opposition, was clearly the face of the rally, although other heavyweights of INDIA bloc, such as Akhilesh Yadav, Mamata Banerjee, Tejaswi Yadav and others were present. Most of the hoardings and banners carried Rahul’s photos, often alongside Priyanka Gandhi, his sister and a Congress MP. Some posters also featured Akhilesh and RJD’s Tejaswi Yadav. That Congress was leading this campaign was clear in the banners and posters.Workers of several INDIA bloc constituents had turned up in large numbers.For some, the rally was much more than a matter of politics. Sukanya, from Kolkata who studies abroad, said she was now in India for projects but decided to attend the demonstration. “During my college days, I was associated with the Students’ Federation of India (SFI). I am here today because the Constitution is important. We need to save it. Vote theft is against the Constitution. When a common person faces injustice, the only power she has is her vote,” she said.In another corner, Prakash Upadhyay, a retired professor, stood with a group of friends, most of them retired teachers and professors too. They were holding CPI flags. He alleged that largescale deletion of names from the electoral rolls was an attempt to undermine democracy. “This is a fascist govt. We are here to raise our voices against the sheer volume of names being scrubbed off the voter lists. It is loot in broad daylight,” he said.The protest also had its share of satirical symbolism. An RJD supporter from Bihar came with an earthen pot balanced on his head, bearing the words ‘Modi-Shah ke paap ka ghada’. He also wore a lantern, the party’s election symbol, around his neck. “This pot will eventually break because of vote theft, and this govt will go,” he said.Srinivas Yadav, who came from Chhapra in Bihar, linked the protest to wider grievances. “They are not just denying you your vote, they are cheating you in every way. They promised employment, but where are the jobs? They promised cheap petrol, but are giving us ethanol,” he said.People had travelled from Bengal to the rally. Arghya, from Kolkata, alleged electoral manipulation and demanded the resignation of chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Sudesh Mandal, who came from Ghaziabad wearing a Samajwadi Party band on his wrist, said the protests would continue if the alleged vote theft is not stopped. “This is not just one protest. We will keep coming. What is the meaning of democracy if people cannot exercise their vote?” he asked.At one corner, a group of women took turns singing protest songs over a microphone. “Behrupiya ho ya BJPiya, sab kehte hain tune vote chori kiya.” They had borrowed the tune from the song Pardesiya, which was in the 1979 Amitabh Bachchan-Rekha starrer Mr Natwarlal.Ravish, a DU student from Malviya Nagar, said: “Many of my friends have come as we are against the way largescale voter deletions have been happening, and this govt is taking no action, despite not just politicians but so many common people raising their voices. We saw how students took part in last protest in CP. We could not go there then, so we are here today.”
