Rahul Gandhi vows resistance over SIR, Jantar Mantar
6 min readNew DelhiOct 13, 2026 08:35 PM IST
First published on: Oct 13, 2026 at 08:01 PM IST
The Opposition on Tuesday said it would keep up its “resistance” irrespective of the role institutions play in the fight to “restore democracy”, and challenge the government’s move to cancel Jantar Mantar’s status as an official protest site.
“We have extreme respect for the Supreme Court, for the Chief Justice of India, for the judicial system. They have a role to play; we hope they will play that role. No matter what happens, no matter which institution plays a role or not, political resistance will continue, people’s resistance will continue and it will triumph,” Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition (LoP), said in a press conference at his 5, Sunehri Bagh residence, surrounded by Opposition leaders, student activists, and civil society members. Gandhi had hosted these leaders for tea to discuss the next steps after days of protests seeking the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. The Opposition and student leaders had marched to the Supreme Court on Monday to submit a petition.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi; RJD leaders Tejashwi Yadav and Manoj Jha; Harender Malik, Anand Bhadauria, and Mohibullah Nadvi (Samajwadi Party), CPI(M) general secretary M A Baby; D Raja and P Sandosh Kumar of the CPI; JMM’s Mahua Maji, AISA leader Neha Bora’ CPI(M-L) Liberation general sec retary Dipankar Bhattacharya, Mahua Moitra and Sagarika Ghose of the Mamata All India Trinamool Congress; and Forward Bloc general secretary G Devarajan were among the leaders present at the meeting.
Both Tejashwi Yadav and D Raja targeted the government’s decision to cancel Jantar Mantar’s status as a protest site. (Express Photo by Anil Sharma)
Gandhi said it was not simple to “destroy” the Constitution and get away with it, and reiterated action against those involved in “vote chori (theft)”.
“It is our commitment that the people who have done this — Mr Modi, who is the main architect, Amit Shah, who is the implementer, Gyanesh Kumar and others — they need to understand that the net is closing around them….We assure you that all would be brought to justice,” said the LoP.
Gandhi emphasised there were no different protests and all were together in this fight to restore democracy in the country.
Both Tejashwi Yadav and D Raja targeted the government’s decision to cancel Jantar Mantar’s status as a protest site. “The government’s fear is evident in the denotification of Jantar Mantar as a protest site,” said Yadav. Raja condemned the government’s decision and announced a fight to “reclaim” it.
The leaders present at the meeting are learnt to have agreed that they would not accept the decision to “de-notify Jantar Mantar as a protest site at any cost”. All INDIA bloc events in the coming days would include an attempt to march there, sources said.
The Opposition leaders appeared happy with the turnout at the protest march on Monday and sat together for a review of the protests held so far, sources said. (Express Photo by Anil Sharma)
The CPI(M) has also vowed to resist the withdrawal of Jantar Mantar’s status as a designated protest site, alleging that the move is aimed at suppressing dissent and weakening the right to hold peaceful demonstrations. The CPI(M) Politburo has criticised the decision, with M A Baby saying in a post on X, “By denotifying Jantar Mantar as a designated protest site, if the Modi-Shah-Bhagawat trio think they can diffuse protests and make them invisible, they are wrong. Such moves further expose the BJP-led Union government’s intolerance of dissent and its contempt for the constitutional right to peaceful protests.” At the press conference, Baby reiterated that the struggle against the CEC would continue.
“There is one enemy and that is the BJP. The BJP has never had a role in making the Constitution … It is wonderful that all Opposition parties are united. Our fight is only against the BJP … The people who have committed treason are the BJP,” said Bora.
NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule said all democratic forces had come “together because the Constitution has been threatened”, while Trinamool leader Sagarika Ghose said the INDIA bloc would not “stop till action is taken against Gyanesh Kumar and officials involved in vote chori”. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut targeted PM Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah and said the movement to oust the CEC would continue under Gandhi’s leadership.
Inside the meeting
In conversations during the high tea, Gandhi is learnt to have advised all the leaders present that their parties and outfits should be “ready to mobilise” against the government within 24 hours, if needed. The Opposition leaders appeared happy with the turnout at the protest march on Monday and sat together for a review of the protests held so far, sources said.
The Opposition, student groups, and civil society activists agreed to decide the next course of action after the Supreme Court hears the petition submitted on Monday.
An idea was also floated to host a “mock Parliament session” at a joint Opposition rally being planned for the first week of November at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan. The idea is to “impeach the CEC” at the mock Parliament session and the proposal will be discussed further, it is learnt.
