Game of one-upmanship? For fourth day in a row, INDIA bloc MPs hit the streets ahead of CJP's Jantar Mantar 2.0

NEW DELHI: For four days in a row, opposition leaders have hit the streets of the national capital, demanding removal of CEC Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the SIR of electoral rolls. On September 30, when the INDIA bloc announced its 6-point protest plan against the CEC, it mentioned one street protest in the national capital - a march by all its MPs to the EC office on October 6.But the script changed.The opposition MPs, led by the Congress, returned to the streets with a march to Jantar Mantar on October 7, to Rajghat on October 8 and to Rashtrapati Bhawan on October 9. The police went all out to stop the protesters on October 7 leading to a 9-hour standoff at Akashvani Bhawan where Rahul and Priyanka sat on a dharna, before they were forcibly removed. However, a day later the cops changed their strategy and allowed the opposition leaders led by Rahul Gandhi to offer prayers at Rajghat, Mahatma Gandhi's memorial. The leaders staged a sit-in to highlight what they alleged was "hijacking" of the country by Prime Minister Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah and the CEC through a criminal conspiracy of "vote chori."On Friday, on the eve of CJP protests, the INDIA bloc MPs once again took to the streets, this time to Rashtrapati Bhawan to submit a memorandum to President Droupadi Murmu. The march, as expected, was stopped by the cops. The opposition leaders then sat on a dharna, this time at Vijay Chowk.The change in the street protests plan took even some of the INDIA bloc allies by surprise with some reports suggesting that allies were not happy over not being consulted. Not all of them were present for the extended street protests, leading to some uncomfortable questions about the INDIA bloc’s unity. Congress denied these charges.Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said all parties of the INDIA bloc had been invited, but the decision and communication came late on Tuesday night. "Therefore, it was natural that representatives from some parties could not participate in it. Some media outlets are making unnecessary comments about this," he posted on X.So, what prompted this change in protest plan? Was it the success of the October 6 march to Parliament protest that prompted the new strategy? Or, did the looming Cockroach Janata Party’s October 10 protest play a role in extending the INDIA bloc street action?To understand this, let’s rewind to June-July when youth came out in large numbers in several cities in response to the CJP’s agitation demanding the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan as Union education minister against NEET paper leaks.The CJP, formed online in May by Abhijeet Dipke in response to a remark made by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant using terms "cockroaches" and "parasites" for those unemployed who attacked institutions through social media activism and litigation.On June 1, Dipke announced the first CJP protest for June 6 at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. The next day, activist and educator Sonam Wangchuk joined the online movement. On June 6, the CJP launched physical demonstrations at Jantar Mantar. On 28 June 2026, Wangchuk joined the demonstration at Jantar Mantar and started an indefinite hunger strike demanding the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan.The agitation peaked on July 20, when students and youth from across the country marched to Jantar Mantar responding to CJP’s call. The Delhi police resorted to using unprecedented force to disperse the protesters. The political parties, which till then stood on the sidelines, tried to enter the protests. The Congress, which had focused on Rahul Gandhi’s “Chhatron ki Goonj” till then, staged a surprise protest outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence on July 21 to make its presence felt on the streets. However, the fulcrum of the anti-NEET paper leak protests remained the CJP, and the government was forced to accept its demand for resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan.With another CJP buildup in the making, the opposition parties led by the Congress perhaps don’t want to be “missing in action” this time around and leave the field open for the CJP. That could be one of the reasons why the INDIA bloc MPs have extended their stay on the streets.The Delhi Police have denied permission to the CJP for the October 10 Jantar Mantar protests citing short notice, past non-compliance with directions and concerns related to public safety, law and order and traffic regulation.But the CJP has announced to go ahead with its agitation. Abhijeet Dipke asserted that the protest would go ahead regardless of whether police permission was granted and said CJP activists were prepared to face arrest.Questioning the measures taken ahead of the protest, Dipke said, "What is this fear? Why are you this scared? You are scared of the youth in the country. You shut down trains, you shut down Metro, what should one do?"Earlier today, Delhi Police announced an unprecedented security clampdown on the national capital to prevent protesters from assembling for the agitation. The cops are also keeping an eye on over 200 content creators as part of the monitoring exercise. Police teams are examining online posts and messages relating to mobilisation, gathering points and the proposed demonstration.Later in the day, Supreme Court intervened and ordered Delhi police to ease some of the sweeping instructions to ensure that citizens, particularly those who have no intention of joining the ongoing demonstrations, were not inconvenienced. The top court said Metro and train services cannot be completely stopped and asked authorities to reconsider such restrictions in a proportionate manner.A bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana also clarified that the present proceedings primarily concern restrictions affecting the movement of ordinary citizens and public transport and not the broader right to protest.While the government and security forces will be closely watching the CJP's mobilisation on Saturday, the INDIA bloc will also be keeping an eagle's eye on how the youth respond. In July, the CJP managed to draw large crowds, leaving opposition parties struggling to make their presence felt.This time, the opposition has taken to the streets even before the CJP's planned protest. The question now is whether the INDIA bloc can match the CJP's mobilisation or whether the youth-led group will once again draw bigger crowds. The October 10 protest at Jantar Mantar may offer some answers.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.