A fresh wave of demonstrations has swept across the Indian capital of New Delhi, escalating political tensions in the country. The primary catalyst behind these ongoing disruptions is the self-proclaimed 'Cockroach People's Party' (CJP). Having purportedly forced the resignation of the education minister earlier this summer, the group has now turned its sights on the head of the election commission, demanding an immediate resignation.

To suppress the youth-led movement that began late last week, authorities mobilized over 35,000 police officers into the capital. The latest protests were allegedly triggered by reports in the Indian Express indicating that two deputy election commissioners raised concerns regarding voter list alterations, registration procedures, and digital systems. According to available data, controversial revisions implemented over the past year have reportedly removed over 130 million names from voter registries—a figure surpassing the entire population of Japan. *

Opposition factions claim that these sweeping modifications disproportionately target Muslims and other minority groups, who purportedly are less likely to cast their ballots for the ruling party that champions Hindu nationalism. Meanwhile, the election commission and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have firmly rejected these allegations. Representatives of the Indian authorities claim that the sudden attacks against election commission chief Gyanesh Kumar are designed to undermine the legitimacy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 2024 electoral victory, further suggesting the presence of a 'foreign hand' behind the unrest.

Amidst this growing confrontation, the demands set forth by the CJP movement have received open backing from the INDIA opposition alliance, spearheaded by the Indian National Congress and its prominent leader Rahul Gandhi, signaling deeper political friction for Modi's administration which has remained in power since 2014.

Source: kun.uz