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Police on Friday detained Rajiv Gandhi Panchayati Raj Sangathan workers during their protest outside the Election Commission of India (ECI) over the Supreme Court's rejection of Congress Rajya Sabha candidate from Madhya Pradesh, Meenakshi Natarajan's plea challenging the rejection of her nomination papers.
From inside the police detention bus, protesters could be heard chanting slogans while holding banners that read 'Satya ki raah, loktantra ki chah' (On the path of truth, yearning for democracy) and 'Election Commission Compromised.' Police officials were seen carrying the protestors to the bus to control the situation. A protestor claimed that "this government is anti-women... The government disrespected the women of the entire county". Earlier today, the police also detained Madhya Pradesh Congress President Jitu Patwari and other party leaders participating in a 'Satyagraha' protest at Jantar Mantar on the same issue. Patwari got into a heated argument with the police who were trying to detain him during the protest at Jantar Mantar. He was eventually dragged into a police bus and detained. "The first case, the first such incident in Indian politics where a Rajya Sabha nomination has been cancelled--this is currently a subject of discussion in the country. There is a deep-seated feeling in the minds of the common public: will democracy survive in this country, or is the nation heading towards autocracy and dictatorship? This is a significant event that reflects that entire line of thought. Patwari further alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party acted out of fear after witnessing the unity among Congress legislators during the Rajya Sabha election process. The controversy centres on Form 26, the mandatory affidavit filed by candidates to declare their assets, liabilities, and educational qualifications, as well as any criminal antecedents. "The core of the entire issue revolves around a specific document, Form 26. It has been alleged that I failed to record certain information in Form 26 and concealed facts," Natrajan said. Jitu Patwari also alleged that the rejection of Meenakshi Natarajan's Rajya Sabha nomination was an unprecedented development in Indian politics and raised concerns about the state of democracy in the country. (ANI)
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