India is facing yet another wave of intense street protests, spearheaded by a youth movement known as the "Cockroach People's Party" (CJP). Having purportedly forced the resignation of the education minister earlier this summer, these activists have now turned their sights on the head of the election commission, demanding an immediate resignation. The demonstrations, which have gripped New Delhi since the end of last week, prompted the deployment of roughly 35,000 police officers to the capital in an effort to suppress the unrest.
The latest turmoil was supposedly triggered by a report published in the Indian Express, which alleged that two deputy election commissioners expressed serious concerns regarding voter list modifications, registration procedures, and digital systems. According to claims, ongoing revisions since last year have resulted in the removal of over 130 million names from electoral rolls—a figure surpassing the entire population of Japan. Out of these, 28 million are said to be deceased, 63 million relocated, and 30 million untraceable.
Opposition political factions claim that these massive alterations disproportionately affect Muslims and other minority groups. Critics allege that these populations are less likely to support the ruling party, which advocates for Hindu nationalism. Meanwhile, the election commission and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have flatly rejected these accusations, calling them politically motivated.
Observers suggest that the sudden onslaught against the election commission and its chief, Gyanesh Kumar, is purportedly aimed at undermining the legitimacy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's victory in the 2024 general elections. Against this backdrop, representatives of the Indian regime have begun hinting at a possible "foreign hand" behind the October demonstrations. Following the recent national elections, the BJP retained its parliamentary majority, securing another term for Modi, who has been in power since 2014.
The campaign targeting the election chief was originally launched by the CJP movement, which successfully ousted Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan months prior. The demands put forward by the movement have now received open backing from the opposition INDIA alliance, spearheaded by the Indian National Congress and its leader Rahul Gandhi.
Source: kun.uz