00:00But it's the showdown of the SR exercise that continues to play out in street theatre as much.
00:04The war awards continue. Opposition parties are staging protests across the country.
00:09In fact, Congress-led protests in multiple cities.
00:12Was noticeable with the show of strength, but also then, the water cannons, the tear gas, all of that, that
00:18was used as well.
00:19All of this is to demand action against the CEC, Gyanesh Kumar.
00:23Political battle intensifying. BJP is accusing the opposition of misleading voters.
00:28The Congress has alleged that the ruling party is shielding the election panel chief.
00:33Here's the India Today ground report, with our team of reporters to tell you, not just the political showdown, but
00:38the situation on the ground.
00:47Delhi, Jaipur, Srinagar, Hyderabad and many others.
01:00The opposition on Monday hit the streets in different parts of the country over the already raging controversy over the
01:08special intensive revision of the electoral rolls.
01:11The protestors clashed with the police in NDA-ruled states and demanded the removal of the CEC.
01:31Heavy barricading has been done by the Delhi police and the paramilitary forces to stop the Congress workers to march
01:37towards the Election Commission headquarters.
01:39But here, in the visuals, clearly, you can see that IYC workers are holding cards in their hand.
01:45They are trying to march towards the Election Commission office.
01:49They are holding posters in their hand, vote-chorey, prison.
01:52So, clearly, they are targeting Chief Election Commissioners.
02:10You can see pictures here that how the entire area has been heavily barricaded and a short while back, a
02:17water cannon was also used to control the situation.
02:21But you can see here how the barricading's have been, in fact, damaged here by the protesters.
02:27One barricading tore diya gya.
02:29Now, let's see.
02:29The police and the government are in front of the police.
02:42The government is unwilling to budge an inch and launched a scathing counter-attack on the opposition,
02:50which hit back measure for measure.
03:10Particularly this issue is concerned to the entire country
03:17and also our existence of our democracy.
04:02Meanwhile, the Kokrut Janata Party reiterated its ultimatum and targeted Gyanesh Kumar.
04:24The controversy has now snowballed into one of the biggest political controversies of the year
04:30and is threatening to escalate even further.
04:33The Election Commission has given a point-by-point rebuttal to all charges
04:39and has denied any division in its ranks.
04:44But amidst the opposition attacks in the government defence,
04:47all eyes now are firmly on the CEC and his next course of action.
04:54With Anmol Bali, Sharad Kumar, Rohit Singh and Satyajit Kumar, Bureau Report, India Today.
05:04Let's try and get an understanding of what's really happening
05:07and will this controversy at all ever come to an end despite clarifications coming in from the Election Commission.
05:13Aishwarya Paliwal is joining me.
05:14Closely tracks the EC.
05:16Mosumi Singh, closely tracking what the opposition is doing.
05:19Mosumi, do you think that the Congress Party will continue to escalate the protests
05:22and they are realising that this is one opportunity they won't let go of?
05:26What is their strategy?
05:27Is it to target Modi government or the CEC or the Election Commission?
05:33I think, Pooja, after the paper leak and entire Gen Z protests that saw a lot of opposition parties
05:41rallying behind the Gen Z on the streets as well, Rahul Gandhi has got fresh ammunition.
05:47And not only a Congress Working Committee meeting tomorrow, but a big India Bloc meeting is on the cards.
05:53Perhaps, you know, not only the Parliament, they really think that this entire war has to be played out on
05:59the streets
06:00and the people will come in support and take to the streets is what Rahul Gandhi is anticipating.
06:06And that's why, you know, a continuous tirade against the Election Commission
06:10and thereby, you know, connecting the dots with the entire conspiracy of this entire rigging of elections and the democracy.
06:18Mosumi, quickly then.
06:19Isn't the Congress Party convinced with the clarifications that are coming in from the government and from the Election Commission?
06:28Absolutely not.
06:30The thing that the BJP and the Modi government has come out in defense of the Election Commission itself proves
06:37that there is something to smell foul there.
06:41And completely, you know, after a nationwide protest by the Congress Party, several outfits of the Congress Party taking to
06:50the streets,
06:51perhaps a mega rally and a mega protest being planned on the sidelines of the India Bloc meeting.
06:57We are also told that parties, opposition parties outside the ambit of the India Bloc will also be wooed.
07:06So whether this will be a rallying point, but though the Congress realizes, Pooja, that a political fight is a
07:13different matter,
07:14whether it really goes in psychologically and hits the people as far as, you know, compromising with democracy is concerned,
07:23is the issue that they want to actually deal with and see how it goes to the masses where, you
07:30know, this is actually a vote showery that's being carried out.
07:33And especially with upcoming elections like in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, this controversy may actually hold a lot of importance unless
07:40they've been able to give clarifications that can soothe at least the nerves of the voters.
07:44Ashwara, so that's my question to you. Multiple clarifications have come, but I hope the EC also realizes that the
07:51image of the institution can take a hit.
07:53What do you think is the plan of the Election Commission? Because it looks like even Union Minister Nadal's press
07:58conference isn't making much of a difference.
08:01Well, definitely, Pooja, you know, you spoke about the fact that there are possibilities of the institution being hit.
08:06From what I can understand, the Commission is very well understanding that this is not just a dent, it's a
08:11major dent on the ECI.
08:15And clarifications obviously have come, but they are not denying that notes were not written.
08:20Notes definitely were written not just by one EC, but by both the ECs.
08:24However, one thing is very clear. When the time came to take a decision on SIR, the first order which
08:30came for 12 states,
08:31that was indeed being signed by all three of them, which means the CEC and both the Election Commissioners,
08:36all three of them had unanimously signed on it. Then a second SIR order came for the remaining 19 states
08:42and UTs.
08:43On that also, on that file, there is no dissent order.
08:46This is something that the Election Commission time and again has been speaking about.
08:49They also have been speaking about the fact that one thing is very clear.
08:53We are united and all these decisions were taken unitedly.
08:56However, the opposition definitely is rallying and we could see some more clarifications coming in from the Election Commission of
09:02India in days to come.
09:03All right. I appreciate you both joining us, Ashwira Paliwal,
09:06and most missing our seasoned reporters to help you understand what is happening in political corridors.
09:11Otherwise, you can also catch them on reporters' off air.
09:14That's where the real scoop, both of them are seen and heard, discussing.
09:18Thank you very much, ladies, for your views on this.
09:20I have news coming in. Let's take a look at that.
