Rahul urges citizens to join INDIA Bloc march to Supreme Court ‘as Indians’, regardless of party affiliation

Leaders of INDIA’s opposition bloc are seen after meeting President Droupadi Murmu. File | Photo credit: ANI

A day ahead of the opposition’s planned march to the Supreme Court on Monday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi called on all citizens to join “as citizens”, irrespective of their affiliation. The opposition alliance plans to submit a memorandum to Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant on the issue of alleged chori (theft).

Mr Gandhi said in a video statement that they would ask the CJI to stop the special intensive review (SIR) of electoral rolls, remove Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and remove electronic voting machines (EVMs) from the election process.

Also read | Anti-CEC protest LIVE updates

“Every person who believes in democracy, who wants to stand for democracy, please come with us. (It) doesn’t matter what your affiliation is, as long as you are associated with the Constitution of India and want to protect it,” he said.

United beyond party loyalty

In a post on X, Mr Gandhi said that the march to the Supreme Court will see Indians united across party, gender, caste, community and state. Referring to Saturday’s protests called by several youth organisations, including the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), the opposition leader said the nation’s youth came to Delhi to protest peacefully but were “beaten” by both “BJP goons and the police”.

“This is not the India we want,” said Mr. Gandhi, adding, “Come with us and there is nothing to fear. These cowards can do nothing to us.”

“Undeclared State of Emergency”

Party president Mallikarjun Kharge had earlier told reporters in Bengaluru that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Home Minister had declared an “undeclared state of emergency”. The opposition leaders have requested a meeting with the CJI on Monday between 4:00 pm and 5:00 pm, he said.

“With folded hands, we will inform (the CJI) about the situation. The home minister and the prime minister are creating chaos in the country and an unannounced emergency has been declared everywhere,” Mr. Kharge said.

Details of the plans for Monday’s protests are not yet public, but Congress general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal is coordinating with other opposition Indian National Development Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) parties as well as the party’s own state units.

“torture room”

In an unusually scathing post on social media, Mr Venugopal accused the Delhi Police of turning Delhi into a “torture house where innocent citizens exercising their fundamental rights are harassed, beaten and detained”.

“All this while vigilante groups linked to the ruling regime are given a free hand to attack protesters – under full police protection. Modi-Shah are criminal-minded dictators who have decided to go to any lengths to save their regime from collapse,” Venugopal said in a post on X.

“They know their Vote Chori is open to the public and the public has completely turned against them. They should know very well that the youth of India are not cowards like them. No amount of brutality will deter their will to defy this regime. We the people of India will succeed,” he added.

In a video statement, Mr Venugopal stressed that Monday’s march was not political but to “protect people’s fundamental right to vote”.

Although the Congress was not formally part of Saturday and Sunday’s protests, several leaders of the INDIA bloc, including Mamata Banerjee and Pinarayi Vijayan, took part and were detained. On the other hand, the Congress protested in the capital for four days, starting on 6 October, as part of the INDIA Bloc.

Published – 11 Oct 2026 10:48 IST