Lyricist Javed Akhtar on Friday questioned whether residents of Mumbai’s Shivaji Park who objected to the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) protest over noise pollution would raise similar objections when a political party holds a jalsa at the venue.
Dipke had announced the Mumbai protest as the first leg of a nationwide agitation, alleging irregularities in electoral rolls and demanding greater accountability in the functioning of the Election Commission. Dipke subsequently announced the ‘Jail Bharo Andolan’ at the venue. The protest comes days after Mumbai Police denied permission for the gathering at Shivaji Park, citing, among other issues, concerns over noise pollution, traffic congestion and disruption to movement in the area. Several attempts have also been made to detain All India Students’ Association (AISA) president Neha Bora.
More than 500 protesters have reportedly been detained in Delhi, including AAP leaders Atishi and Sanjay Singh.
The Election Commission, however, rejected the suggestion that the reported objections reflected a breakdown or lack of consensus within the poll panel. “I am so happy that some residences of Shivaji park are getting sensitive about the noise pollution and asking the authorities to cancel the protest of CJP today at Shivaji park. In a subsequent statement, the ECI also sought to present a united front, saying decisions on SIR had the approval of all three commissioners.
I am hundred percent sure that they will raise the same objection with the same intensity if not more when ever there is any jalsa of any political party of Maharashtra is planned at Shivaji park,” he said in a post on X. It said individual views, observations and suggestions are part of deliberations in a multi-member constitutional body, and maintained that final decisions, including those related to SIR, were taken unanimously.
The report triggered a political controversy, with opposition parties calling for Kumar’s resignation and seeking the Supreme Court’s intervention, while raising questions about the functioning of the poll panel.
