New Delhi: Congress led INDIA bloc MPs held a peaceful sit-in protest on Thursday at Rajghat against vote chori and attacks on democracy and the constitution.

LoP Rahul Gandhi, AICC President, LoP in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge joining INDIA bloc MPs participated in the protest. It was the third day of protests against CEC Gyanesh Kumar and alleged vote chori by opposition leaders, who pledged to continue their agitation until CEC resigns.

After two days of fierce protests during which several leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, were detained and forcibly removed by police, the opposition leaders gathered at Rajghat to offer floral tributes and pray for wisdom to the BJP Government and the CEC.

Rahul Gandhi speaking to the media persons in the bus said that PM Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and CEC Gyanesh Kumar had criminally conspired to hijack the country, destroy the Constitution and steal votes. They will all be brought to justice and this is our guarantee, he asserted.

Rahul Gandhi referred to the ongoing protests, he said around 300 MPs wanted to stage a peaceful protest but were stopped near the Election Commission office on Tuesday and prevented from proceeding to Jantar Mantar the following day. Our people were beaten up, he added.

He spoke after Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge hosted a lunch for opposition MPs and leaders at Moets restaurant in Connaught Place. The Samajwadi Party, Shiv Sena-UBT and NCP-SP, which were absent from Wednesday’s meeting, attended Thursday’s lunch.

After the lunch, the leaders travelled to Rajghat in three buses accompanied by hundreds of supporters raising slogans and waving flags. Amid drum beats, the bus procession moved slowly via Minto Road and Asaf Ali Road, crossing Delhi Gate and Delite cinema, with members of the Youth Congress, NSUI and Left organizations raising slogans against Modi, Shah and Kumar. The workers waved the tri-colour, along with flags of their parties and organizations. The nearly five-km journey took about two hours. Upon reaching Rajghat, the leaders went to the memorial and sat in silence while paying floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi.

Kharge said the INDIA bloc MPs had gathered at Rajghat to peacefully protest and pray for wisdom to PM Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. He said the Opposition wanted to convey to the country that the BJP Government was taking away people’s right to vote. The protest was also aimed at protecting the right to vote and democratic freedoms secured through the country’s freedom struggle, he added.

Modi and Shah are taking away the freedom that great leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Patel won for us, he said.

Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal, senior Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Telangana CM Revanth Reddy, Keralam CM VD Satheesan, Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and a large number of INDIA bloc MPs were present at the Rajghat protest.

Meanwhile, lakhs of people participated in nationwide demonstrations organised by the Congress at the state, district and block levels. PCCs, DCCs and Block Congress Committees held protests against the police brutality meted out to senior party leaders during Wednesday’s protest in Delhi.

They also protested against alleged manipulation of electoral rolls and demanded accountability in the functioning of the electoral system.

Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh, Venugopal and Congress’ head of media and publicity department Pawan Khera, along with leaders from CPI-M, CPI, TMC, RJD and SP, asserted that the agitation would continue on Friday.