Talking to reporters here, Raut said the protests demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in Delhi were not just about the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), but about those who have faith in democracy.
He also slammed the Maharashtra government over the police crackdown on protesters in Mumbai on Saturday and said Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis should apologise for this.
Police on Saturday detained more than 7,000 protesters at multiple locations in Delhi, foiling protesters from reaching Jantar Mantar.
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CJP leaders Abhijeet Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das, who were put under preventive arrest following their detention at the Delhi airport ahead of the Jantar Mantar protest, were released on Sunday morning after being produced before an executive magistrate.
They were released on condition that they would not “breach peace” for a year, CJP legal affairs head Ratna Singh said.Raut said the protests did not stop even when the CJP people were taken into custody.
“Delhi has become a detention state. When there is a detention state and police raj, then you have to accept that there is emergency in the country,” he charged.
During the Emergency (imposed by Indira Gandhi in 1975), many Congress stalwarts like Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna and Jagjivan Ram quit the Congress, the Rajya Sabha member pointed out.
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There is similar unease within the BJP. No big leader has stood firmly defending Prime Minister Narendra Modi and there will be a change in the political leadership by March-April next year, he claimed.
“There is unease not only in other parties but also in the BJP due to the situation arising in the country. There is unease within the BJP. Four major leaders of the BJP will take a decision in the interest of the country. These leaders are of the real BJP, of the Sangh (RSS) mentality. These four leaders are in the (Modi) cabinet and major pillars of the BJP,” Raut said without taking any names.
“These people are deliberating and discussing among themselves that we have to take a decision…the way Jagjivan Ram and Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna did,” he claimed.
Raut drew a parallel with German leader Adolf Hitler and Italy’s Benito Mussolini, saying they resorted to similar tactics in their last days of power, like curbing protests, arresting opposition leaders, and putting people under house arrest. There is a similar situation in India, he added. PTI
