Nagpur: The Indian National Congress, along with the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and other organisations like the CPI-affiliated All India Student Association (AISA), took to the streets on Wednesday in solidarity with the protests currently underway in New Delhi, calling for the resignation of chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.Congress city chief Praful Gudadhe, leading the protest, said that Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi has given a diktat to conduct protests across the country for the cause.“What Gyanesh Kumar has done is a direct attack on democracy. You can see that the country’s youth are out on the streets today, because they are afraid of what will happen to democracy if such voter list alterations continue,” he said, adding that their protest is against those who are trying to ‘end’ democracy.Chaitanya Kavy Dhruv, a CJP supporter who was detained by the cops in Delhi a couple of days ago, said that they will not be deterred by any sort of police action. “Our protest is for a just cause. CEC Kumar must resign,” he said.The rally started from Gandhi Putla at Variety Square and culminated at Samvidhan Square, where the protesters recited the Preamble out loud. “We believe in the Constitution, and the pledge that the Preamble asks us to take. Anyone who thinks otherwise is unfit to govern the country,” AISF member Ananya said.The protesters also used a game of snakes and ladders to convey their concerns about the state of democracy. In their symbolic interpretation, the ladders represented democratic virtues and actions that advance constitutional ideals, while the snakes represented govt actions that, they argued, undermine those values and set democratic progress back.Inputs by Sumit Singh
