New Delhi, Oct 7: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Wednesday staged a protest outside the Delhi Chief Electoral Officer’s office at Kashmere Gate, with Left parties and the Congress also joining the demonstration against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.

Speaking to reporters, AAP Delhi President Saurabh Bharadwaj said a nationwide protest would be held on October 10, with the Jantar Mantar serving as its epicentre.

“On the 10th, there will be a nationwide protest, with Jantar Mantar as its epicentre. The call has been given by the Cockroach Janata Party. We are supporting that call. The Left parties, student wings, and various small and large organisations are supporting it, and we are also supporting it,” he said.

AAP MLA Kuldeep Kumar alleged that the BJP government was protecting Gyanesh Kumar and demanded his resignation.

“The BJP government is resorting to hooliganism. It is protecting Gyanesh Kumar. Gyanesh Kumar will have to resign. Gyanesh Kumar is a traitor to the country,” he said.

The AAP and Left parties joined the Congress in the ongoing street protest against CEC Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The joint march was planned towards the Delhi CEO’s office at Kashmere Gate.

The development comes a day after INDIA bloc MPs staged a protest march towards the Election Commission of India (ECI) headquarters in New Delhi, demanding the resignation of the CEC.

However, security personnel stopped the Opposition leaders midway. Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi climbed police barricades and waved the tricolour as security personnel prevented the INDIA bloc MPs from proceeding towards the ECI headquarters.

Rahul Gandhi, along with his sister and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, was briefly detained by the police, according to television reports.

Speaking to reporters, Rahul Gandhi said around 300 MPs from both Houses of Parliament were stopped from meeting the Election Commission.

The INDIA bloc leaders, including the Gandhi siblings, later staged a sit-in at Akashvani Bhavan, from where they were removed by police and detained on Tuesday night.

The AAP and the DMK had stayed away from the INDIA bloc’s protest on Tuesday.

Last week, the AAP and several Left-wing student organisations, including SFI and AISA, staged a protest against the CEC at Jantar Mantar, during which several protesters were detained by police.

Chennai, Oct 7: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay visited his MLA office in Perambur on Wednesday, met residents, received their petitions and directed officials to promptly address grievances raised by people in his own constituency.

During the visit, CM Vijay interacted directly with members of the public who had gathered at the office and listened to their complaints.

He accepted petitions seeking intervention on local issues and instructed officials to ensure that the requests were taken up without delay.

The Chief Minister also distributed various certificates to residents who had applied through electronic service platforms. The distribution formed a part of his visit to the constituency office, where he reviewed the handling of public requests and the delivery of services.

CM Vijay examined the progress of development works in Perambur and sought details of the procedures followed to receive and resolve complaints.

He also reviewed the effectiveness of a dedicated application used for constituency services and grievance handling. His discussions with officials covered both development projects and the response to petitions submitted by residents.

He reiterated that grievances from people in Perambur should be addressed promptly, placing the disposal of pending requests among the issues reviewed during the visit.

With preparations for the rainy season also on the agenda, CM Vijay sought information about waterlogging in north Chennai. He asked officials about the precautionary measures taken for the monsoon and the arrangements made to deal with rainwater accumulation in affected neighbourhoods.

Earlier in the day, the Chief Minister inspected the Madhavaram dairy farm in Chennai and held detailed discussions with officials on milk procurement and distribution.

He sought information about the processes involved in collecting milk and supplying it to consumers.

At the dairy complex, CM Vijay inaugurated the Aavin Central Laboratory annexe building, constructed at a cost of Rs 2.23 crore. The inauguration took place as part of his inspection of the facilities at Madhavaram.

He also examined construction work on a new farm being developed within the Madhavaram dairy farm complex and reviewed the ongoing works before proceeding to Perambur.

The two visits brought together a review of dairy operations and an assessment of constituency services.

At Perambur, the focus remained on residents’ petitions, development works and preparations for rain, while the Madhavaram inspection covered milk procurement, distribution and construction activities within the dairy complex.

New Delhi, Oct 7: Congress MP K.C. Venugopal on Wednesday dismissed the FIRs registered against Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi over protest, saying the party was not afraid of such cases and would continue its fight to protect democracy.

“Let them file thousands of FIRs. Who is bothered about it? Let them do it. We are very much proud that we are fighting to retain the democracy of this country,” Venugopal told reporters as INDIA bloc MPs gathered for a lunch hosted by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, a day after the Opposition’s protest against the Election Commission.

His remarks came after the Gandhi siblings were booked on trespassing charges for allegedly entering Akashwani Bhawan in Central Delhi during Tuesday’s protest march against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.

Congress MP Pawan Khera also dismissed concerns over the FIRs, saying they were a “badge of honour” for the party.

“Are we afraid of FIRs? FIRs are a badge of honour. We have to sign something, and we will sign it because the Election Commission wants everyone’s signatures,” Khera said.

“We are here for signing something. The ECI wants signatures from all the people. We will then send the letter,” he added.

Congress MP Deepender Singh Hooda said the Opposition’s fight to protect democracy and the Constitution would continue.

“Look, we have come for lunch now, and we will have lunch. Our fight is continuing to save democracy and the Constitution. I have been informed that an FIR has been registered, in which our name has also been mentioned. We are not people who are afraid of FIRs. They should have understood this by now,” he said.

Rajya Sabha member Kapil Sibal also criticised the Chief Election Commissioner, alleging that the Election Commission had not shown the courage to meet the Opposition leaders.

“You have seen the conduct of this Chief Election Commissioner when he gave time also… They have no courage to meet,” Sibal said.

Kharge has invited INDIA bloc MPs for lunch at Sagar Ratna on Janpath. The MPs are also expected to sign a letter seeking a meeting with CEC Gyanesh Kumar.

The meeting comes a day after Opposition MPs marched from Parliament towards the Election Commission headquarters, demanding a meeting with the election commissioners over allegations of irregularities in the electoral process.