- 31 minutes ago
Protests erupted across southern India over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and alleged mass voter deletions. In Bengaluru, actor Prakash Raj and the Cockroach Janata Party staged a People's Adalat at Freedom Park to address voter grievances regarding Form 6 and Form 7, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Affected citizens demonstrated with documents claiming eligible names had been removed from the voter rolls. Meanwhile, the Karnataka Congress held a black flag demonstration outside its party office, opposing the detention of opposition leaders in Delhi and demanding an inquiry into private data enumeration agencies. In Telangana, opposition parties, led by the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee, marched from the Ambedkar statue towards Lok Bhavan in Hyderabad, seeking the immediate sacking of the CEC and an end to the SIR process.
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NewsTranscript
00:04Vannakam, namaskara, good afternoon and a big welcome to India Today's SoSouth where we get you all the latest updates
00:09from the southern part of India over the next 30 to 40 minutes and it's the same story across India
00:15right now making news is on the election commission versus the opposition fight and the same in Bengaluru also. Now
00:21let's kick start the bulletin with news coming in from Bengaluru and in Karnataka.
00:37The big news here in from Bengaluru is that the Kokrot Janta party along with actor Prakash Raj are holding
00:43up people's tribunal or they call it as the people's adalat on the SIR issue. They want to have conversation
00:49with the voters who have been felt like, who are feeling like they have been left out of the draft
00:53list and they want to have a conversation one on one.
00:56So in this meeting there will be Abhijit Deepke of the CJP, Ashutosh Ranka, Saurav Das, Prakash Raj and many
01:02many other leaders of the CJP also.
01:05Now we also have the civil society joining hands with the CJP and the actors here in Bengaluru at Freedom
01:11Park.
01:11As we get to the visuals right now, Prakash Raj has just reached the venue and this was supposed to
01:16be starting from 10.30 till evening 5pm.
01:19You can see Abhijit Deepke right on the dais waving his hands along with Prakash Raj, both of them lifting
01:25their hands together and many other content creators and influencers are also present on the stage.
01:31And this, the CJP calls it as the voters' adalat or the voter tribunal where they can speak to voters
01:37one on one and hear the grievances and what is happening in terms of Form 6 and Form 7.
01:43What difficulties are they facing? That's what CJP is intending to do today in the Freedom Park protest right now.
01:49Sagai Raj, my colleague is joining me live from the protest right from the Ground Zero.
01:52Sagai, take us through what's happening at the protest right now.
02:17Sagai, take us through what's happening.
02:25What is your demand?
02:26I'm sorry, I'm not, I don't know.
02:30So, why are you here? What is your demand? What is your opinion on it?
02:33I'm not interested, sorry.
02:34Where are you from?
02:35Huh?
02:35Which organisation are you from?
02:37We are from India today.
02:39India today.
02:39Yeah, what exactly?
02:40And what's your name?
02:41Sagai Raj.
02:42Okay. And why have you come today actually? I'm interested.
02:45We came here to cover the protest. Why are you here? What are you looking for?
02:50But what exactly? There's something going on right now.
02:55Here are the people who are come here to participate in the protest.
02:59Let us go and speak to...
03:17In fact, before we fix the network with Sagai Raj, we are getting you the visuals from Freedom Park.
03:22You can see Indian flags, Karnatak flags and also a lot of Gen Z protesters who are there trying to
03:28get a glimpse of the CJP leaders as well as Prakash Raj.
03:31As they call this a people's tribunal or the people's adalat where they get to speak to people on one
03:36-on-one as to what are the grievances and their difficulties in getting into the draft list.
03:41And also giving them updates about how to use Form 6 and what is happening with Form 7 in Karnataka.
03:47Remember, in Karnataka alone, the Chief Minister went and sat on protest in EC office or the Election Commission office
03:52a week back demanding justice on the Form 7 issue.
03:56That's the protest that the government had taken up.
03:58And now, CJP has jumped into the action and doing a protest at the Freedom Park.
04:03Let me now go across to Sagai Raj once again.
04:05Sagai, take us through the protest.
04:06Who will have come right now and what is this people's adalat that the CJP is trying to do at
04:10the protest site?
04:14Now, CJP was supposed to start that people's tribunal that is Jan Adalat around 10 o'clock but they came
04:21only around 12.30.
04:23As we speak now, you can see that all the leaders are addressing the gathering and they started to shout
04:27slogans against Yanish or Kumar.
04:29They haven't started this people's tribunal yet where they will be discussing about on what reasons the voters have been
04:37deleted.
04:37There were many of them who also came with the death certificate saying that they have the death certificate but
04:42they are still alive.
04:43We are joined with one of them, a few of them who have a part of this particular protest.
04:48Sir, what is your demand?
04:50What's your language?
04:52Kannada?
04:52English or Hindi?
04:54Hindi.
04:54I don't still know.
05:14Thank you very much.
05:37The latest update is that we just saw Congress, MLA, B.R. Patil walking inside to participate in the protests.
05:45As we speak now, Congress, MLA, B.R. Patil has arrived at the Freedom Park and he is walking towards
05:51the gathering inside this Freedom Park.
05:54Sir, what is the demand? Why are you holding this placard?
05:58So what we are demanding is, so we need to get the rights.
06:02Every citizen of India has to get the rights.
06:04They have to vote.
06:05They need that election, this one.
06:07They have to participate in this big democratic country.
06:10So this SIR, whatever the wrong points they added, they have to release all those things.
06:17And so what Ganesh Kumar, through Ganesh Kumar, what that Indian BJP government is trying to do it,
06:24that they have to withdraw these things.
06:25And through these things, all minority people, they are coming out of this election.
06:31Okay, they are saying that the SIR process should be cancelled and they should not target the minorities.
06:37So what is the demand?
06:40What is the demand?
06:41What is the demand?
06:42What is the demand?
06:42Our vote is our right.
06:44We will vote who we will vote, how we will vote.
06:46Who is the Ganesh Kumar who is going to vote?
06:48So what the Janda Nishali, whether the vote is going to vote for us, if Ganesh Kumar is going to
06:51vote for us.
06:54And the vote is, who wants to vote for us as well?
07:00Who has to vote for us?
07:01We have to see our voting for who has to vote for us.
07:03We have to vote for us.
07:16We are not fighting for anyone, but we are fighting for ourselves.
07:20What do you want to say?
07:22What is this?
07:23This is not what we want to resign from.
07:25What can we say?
07:27Last time we went to resign.
07:29I mean, when it comes to 4, we will get a sound.
07:32What is it?
07:33What is it?
07:35What is it?
07:36What is it?
07:36What is it?
07:36What is it?
07:37What is it?
07:38What is it?
07:38What is it?
07:41What is it?
07:44What is it?
07:45We want to resign and give them.
07:47There will be nothing in it.
07:48And wherever it will be for the first time, we will get a sound.
07:52What is your placard?
07:54What is it?
07:56What is it?
07:56What is it?
07:57What is it?
07:59So you can see there are multiple placards, colorful placards where the students, youngsters
08:04are gathering at the Freedom Park.
08:06Along with them, there are also party members.
08:09You can see DYFI Party, Aham Admi Party.
08:11And even we saw a Congress Emilie walking inside this protest venue.
08:28Saga, in fact, take us through the slogans that are being raised right now.
08:30And what is the people's adalat?
08:32Are they going to speak to every individual at the protest site and take their grievances?
08:37How is this protest going to be taken forward?
08:38And also they have called for a chappal protest at 4pm.
08:41Take us through the details of this protest also.
08:49People who had grievances with the protest, they have come with the documents.
08:57So far they have not started.
09:00It's called as People Adalat.
09:04And once they understand the protest, how they are going to do this.
09:09But we have noticed that people have come with the documents to show that they are part
09:14of this country.
09:16They are a municipal minister.
09:18Their names should not be deleted.
09:19And as we speak now, there is a solution to Hatha Jyaneshwar Mark as the chief election commissioner.
09:26And they should revoke this Hathayag process.
09:29As we speak now, the BJP leaders are addressing the gathering.
09:34They are asked to pop up this adalat or on the end study.
09:38But let's begin now.
09:42Right.
09:43And we also move to the next story that the same issue on the election commission versus
09:48the opposition.
09:49In fact, in southern part of India, Congress is ruling in force such states there in Kerala,
09:54Telangana, Karnataka and in coalition in Tamil Nadu with TVK.
09:59And in Karnataka, as we see protests happening in Freedom Park, the same way in Telangana also
10:03a protest has broken out a march to the Lok Bhavan from the opposition parties.
10:08And in Karnataka opposition Congress here, the Congress party staged a black flag protest
10:13at the party headquarter and also demanding withdrawal of the FIR that has been filed against
10:20Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi.
10:21They also slammed the BJP for complaint and which alleged that Rahul Gandhi inappropriately
10:26touched or behaved with the women police officers in Delhi during the day two of the protest.
10:31That's visuals that you can see that was condemned by the Congress party and also said that the
10:36BJP is trying to make hay out of nothing.
10:39In fact, they are saying that Priyanka Gandhi was brutally handled by the Delhi police.
10:45Rather talk about that than what Rahul Gandhi did.
10:48So the Karnataka Congress held a black flag protest, shouted slogans, raised slogans against
10:53the CEC and demanded justice for the people who have been left out of the voter list.
10:58And the same way in Telangana also the opposition as a united force with Congress and the left parties
11:04marched from the Ambedkar Bhavan statue and the Ambedkar statue to the Lok Bhavan demanding justice
11:09and demanding that the CEC Gyanesh Kumar should immediately vacate his chair as well.
11:14Listen to the reactions on the story.
11:17The Karnataka Congress here is protesting at the party headquarter demanding justice against
11:23the detention of all the Congress leaders for second consecutive day.
11:27Today also the Congress Netas in Delhi have planned a lunch meeting.
11:31We'll have to wait and see if they'll end up protesting like yesterday.
11:33What the Karnataka Congress is saying is that its democracy is being sabotaged here and detention
11:40of parliament members is not okay and they're asking the resignation of Gyanesh Kumar.
11:46Here are the Congress office bearers, Hari Prasad, the party president and also the other
11:53Netas, AICC in-charge secretary, Mr. Gopinath, all of them are protesting here at the party office.
11:59They also have a symbolic black flag. So this is a black flag protest that they're taking up.
12:05And the posters, if you can ask my camera person to zoom in on one of the posters,
12:09it says that save democracy, we support Rahul Gandhi.
12:14Save democracy is what the Congress party is saying here in this protest,
12:20that how can Rahul Gandhi, leader of opposition, be detained and not be allowed to protest.
12:25And if I can show you the security arrangements, here also just like Delhi, the police have completely
12:32barricaded the space in front of the party office. They have tied ropes.
12:38It's completely barricaded here ensuring that the protesters don't go on to the spillover to the road also.
12:45And that's the reason there are heavy security deployment and also the barricading has been put up,
12:52the ropes have been put up so that no worker will cross over this Congress party office premises
12:58and jumps over to the road to disturb the traffic and such.
13:02Remember in Karnataka, in Bengaluru especially, you can only protest in Freedom Park.
13:06If the party workers jump over the barricade, there is a heavy security deployment also.
13:12And right now, as we speak, the party workers are protesting here, demanding justice
13:17and also shouting slogans against the BJP and the Chief Election Commissioner.
13:21They are saying that the protesters in Delhi should be given right to protest
13:25and CEC Gyanesh Kumar should step down immediately.
13:30Nagar Jundwar Kanath for India Today.
13:33The entire country knows. In the name of SIR, they have removed 13 crore voters.
13:39There was a lot many flaws. Even in the Karnataka, there was unexplained headings.
13:46We have given to the State Election Commissioner Chief with proof.
13:50But there was no answer till today.
13:52SIR is only to remove the death voters and duplicate.
13:57And apart from death voters, if you are removing anybody,
14:00you have to give notice, you have to enquiry.
14:03There were several headings in the name of shifting, in the name of double entry.
14:08Just like that they removed 1 crore 8 lakhs, which is the highest in the country.
14:13These forms were printed with the help of BJPs.
14:19What is the reason for the Central Election Commission to hire a private agency for this emuneration and data entry
14:27process?
14:28None other than some data analytics company, which is associated with BJP.
14:37They are helping them in the different manner.
14:41Hari Prasad sir, you have been protesting here, saying it's a black flag protest against the central government.
14:45What's your main demand?
14:47Today is the black day in Indian democracy.
14:52When leader of opposition, Sri Rahul Gandhiji and almost about 300 MPs,
14:58India bloc MPs were marching towards the Election Commission.
15:02Amit Shah has unleashed his goods in the police uniform and he has assaulted some of our leaders.
15:11This is against the democracy.
15:13This is nothing but Hitler Shahi.
15:17The Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee has called for a protest here, a protest march from Ambedkar Statute to Lodh Bhavan
15:23against CC Gyanesh Kumar.
15:26And in support of Rahul Gandhi here, we are joined by Congress leader.
15:28Danam ji, what exactly is your demand here? What is the protest about?
15:32It's not only my demand, it is the demand of the nation.
15:35And Rahul ji, leader of the opposition, and irrespective of any political party,
15:43we are demanding to seek Mr. Dinesh Kumar.
15:48In Telangana also there are several cases that are coming up.
15:51You yourself have given a representation of many voters being removed from your constituency.
15:56How many have been removed? What was the action taken?
15:58In my constituency, around 89,000 so far removed.
16:01So we have already given this representation to the Election Commission,
16:05and we are demanding the kind of attitude with Rahul ji,
16:11which is going to be with him.
16:14And the leader of the opposition, he is not an ordinary man.
16:19Their family was a sacrifice for this nation.
16:21And simply they are dragging him on the road.
16:24So definitely we will protest this and we will definitely draw the attention of the central government
16:28till he takes the Election Commission.
16:31So when the Congress ministers, the Telangana ministers, and several Congress leaders
16:35have joined the protest here near the Lokhbhavan from Ambedkar Statute,
16:39till Lokhbhavan is the march.
16:41As you can see around me, it is an all-party march.
16:43Not only the Congress party, but CPI and the other bloc, which is supporting Rahul Gandhi here,
16:50stating that the behaviour that is ongoing in Delhi is condemnable,
16:56is what the Congress leaders have to say.
16:57And that is what they are marching here, demanding resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner,
17:02Gyanesh Kumar.
17:04Abdul Bashir is joining me live on the same issue from Hyderabad.
17:07Abdul, is the protest over?
17:09What was the main demand?
17:10And take us to the main netas who took part in this march.
17:13And from where to where did this protest march take over?
17:20Well, there was high drama that was witnessed in the city of Hyderabad today after the Congress party.
17:25The Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee has called for a march,
17:28a protest rally from Ambedkar Statute to Lokhavan.
17:30And this was an all-party march that was called by the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee
17:34in which all the India bloc leaders and the parties have joined.
17:38Hundreds of them on the streets, taking to the streets from Ambedkar Statute.
17:42High drama witnessed when the leaders approached Lokhavan,
17:45where we had witnessed that barricading or several layer of barricading
17:49and high heavy deployment of police was surpassed by the Congress leaders
17:54moving and rushing towards the Lokhavan.
17:57Most of the leaders reached Lokhavan from where the ministers,
18:00MLAs, MLTs, MPs, everybody were detained and then later shifted to the police station.
18:05There was a high drama that witnessed that was witnessed in Hyderabad.
18:08We are joined by the DCC president of Khartabad here where the protest had taken place.
18:12Mutharujji, tell us what exactly was the plan here?
18:16What is the demand that Congress is putting forward?
18:18We are going forward with a single demand.
18:21We demand immediate arrest of Gyanesh Kumar along with his resignation.
18:26Congress party along with all the India Alliance partners have been protesting all over the country
18:31for the past several days, demanding his arrest and resignation.
18:35But BJP seems to be adamant.
18:38At the same time, Gyanesh Kumar, after all the wrongdoings he has done,
18:41seems very adamant.
18:42But ultimately, the democracy will definitely triumph in India.
18:48And along with all the Alliance partners, we will continue our fight until Gyanesh Kumar resigns.
18:54We are also joined by Congress leader Usman Alhajri ji.
18:57Sir, what do you think protests are here?
19:01What demands are you?
19:03We all know that the country is watching.
19:06Gyanesh Kumar, the country, which is all the people who are here.
19:09Today Congress party's party, which is a march.
19:14We have the demand that Gyanesh Kumar will get away from this country.
19:18And those who are the people who are in this country, who are the people who are in this country,
19:21are the same, the direct-directed message of Narendra Modi and Amish Shah.
19:26These are all against the people, the public, the country is already gone.
19:31And this will continue until the end of the country,
19:33until Gyanesh Kumar will not be removed from their past.
19:37Well, let me tell you, Naga, that the controversy not only about the election commission,
19:42but the SIR process is right now going on in Telangana.
19:44And there is another Form 7 controversy that is ongoing for which the Congress has also protested today.
19:49In this particular protest, we have seen how the irregularities by the election commission
19:55was bought in front of the CEC here.
20:01And also a case was registered where several Form 7 irregularities,
20:05false Form 7s have been submitted to the election commission,
20:09asking to remove several eligible candidates from electoral rolls.
20:12And that was also the reason that the Congress was protesting here against the SIR as well,
20:17asking to scrap the SIR in the state of Telangana, which is right now ongoing.
20:21Over to you, Naga.
20:26Thank you, Bashir, for getting us the latest updates as well.
20:28Let me get a word with Sagai Raj, who is covering the protest in Bengaluru, Sagai.
20:32In fact, in Delhi, it's become a complete barricaded, the Littians Delhi has completely been barricaded
20:37because of the protest continuously starting from day one as well.
20:41What's the scene in Freedom Park right now because just meters away from Freedom Park is the election commission office
20:47beside it.
20:48So, what's the security arrangements like at the Freedom Park in Bengaluru?
20:56There is a huge security arrangement which has been made around Freedom Park.
21:00And there is a set of exit and entry where the police have asked the people to entry only from
21:06that route and even the exit.
21:08And even for the CJP leaders to arrive here, they had to come below the parking area here.
21:14And after that, they came on the stage.
21:16And you can see here, people are holding multiple placards.
21:19And you can see this gentleman is wearing a banner here and he has said that his oath is stolen
21:25because of this SIR process.
21:27And he claims that he is still alive, but they have removed his oath from the oath list, stating that
21:36he is still dead.
21:36Sir, what's the demand with you?
21:39I don't have a oath, brother.
21:40I have four oaths.
21:42My wife, my children, two children.
21:45My wife, my wife, I don't have a oath.
21:47But if someone came here, they said that they didn't have a number.
21:52I have given up the list.
21:55I have given up the oath list.
21:55So at the beginning of it, it would never happen.
21:56In 2002, I am not raised.
22:00She is awarded.
22:01She's awarded.
22:02She is awarded.
22:02She said that the certificate of reading.
22:04She received it.
22:05I have no idea.
22:05What would she do?
22:06She got it.
22:08She told us.
22:08She said that this.
22:08They took it.
22:10She posted it.
22:11The other documents touted.
22:13It was done.
22:13They also took it.
22:14That's not the issue.
22:16So what is this?
22:17I have irritated.
22:19I have expenses.
22:20I have paid parents.
22:46So you're saying that the poor people have been targeted.
22:49Sir, what is the placard that you're holding?
22:52And he also says that the SIR process is against the democratic set-up
22:57and people who have destroyed the constitution in the country.
23:04He has named Prime Minister Hamid Shah and Gyaneshwar and Mohan Akbar.
23:07Sir, what do you want to say?
23:11English.
23:13What do you like to say?
23:15First, we have to deal with these four people.
23:19From SIR.
23:20Then they will feel how much it's hard to digest.
23:28They don't have any other option right now.
23:32Because from first time, today, their votes are decreased.
23:38So they are planning to a new option.
23:42First time, they told, we'll bring all the Swiss bank amount.
23:46We'll clean the Ganga River.
23:50Second time, when they came to power, they told, we'll create 50 smart cities.
23:59Right now, they have not done a single smart city in our country.
24:03Yeah, so they are blaming the central government, stating that whatever the promises which was not,
24:08which was been made, has not been fulfilled.
24:10Back to you, Nagarjuna.
24:15Right, in fact, with that, it's a wrap on today's episode of SoSau.
24:19Thanking Abdul Bashir and Sagai Raj for getting us all the latest updates from the protest sites.
24:24We now slip into a short break.
24:26And on the other side, Anjali Pandey will be getting us all the live action of day three of this
24:31lunch opposition politics
24:32from Conor Place in Delhi.
24:34Keep watching India Today.