Rahul-Priyanka’s Akashvani Move Steals Show at INDIA Protest, Leaves Allies Unhappy

The INDIA bloc’s protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar took an unexpected turn on Tuesday after Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra staged a sit-in at Akashvani Bhavan, turning the spotlight towards the Congress siblings even as several Opposition allies were being detained.

The protest was planned as a joint march by Opposition MPs from Parliament to the Election Commission headquarters in Delhi. The INDIA bloc was seeking the resignation of Gyanesh Kumar over its objections to the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.

But as police stopped the march near Akashvani Bhavan, the protest took a different course. Several senior Opposition leaders were detained and taken away, while Rahul and Priyanka remained at the site and eventually entered the Akashvani Bhavan complex.

How the Protest Changed Course

Around 200 Opposition MPs had gathered at Makar Dwar before setting out towards the Election Commission. Delhi Police had barricaded roads around the poll panel’s office, preventing the marchers from reaching their intended destination.

Among those detained were senior leaders, including Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav.

According to Congress sources, Rahul Gandhi had planned to enter the Akashvani Bhavan premises and leave through a rear gate facing the Election Commission. When police closed that exit, the Gandhi siblings, along with Congress leaders KC Venugopal, Pawan Khera and Imran Pratapgarhi, decided to remain inside and stage a sit-in.

Congress described the move as spontaneous rather than a pre-planned part of the INDIA bloc programme.

The sit-in continued for several hours before Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and other Congress leaders were detained. They were subsequently released, while an FIR was registered over the incident.

Allies Question Congress’ Strategy

While Congress defended the move as an on-the-spot decision, some INDIA bloc partners were reportedly unhappy with the way the protest unfolded.

Sources within the alliance said the demonstration had been conceived as a collective Opposition programme but ended up receiving disproportionate attention around Rahul Gandhi and the Congress.

The concern was not limited to the sit-in itself. Some allies also questioned the decision to seek a meeting with the Election Commission while simultaneously demanding the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner.

A Left MP argued that such a decision should have been discussed among alliance partners before being pursued.

Congress Seeks to Defuse Mistrust

The Congress leadership subsequently attempted to address concerns among its partners.

KC Venugopal reportedly told representatives of other INDIA bloc parties that the Congress leadership had “acted in the moment” and expressed regret over the mistrust caused by the lack of prior coordination.

Congress leaders maintained that the development could not have been anticipated and argued that other Opposition MPs could have returned to the protest after being released from detention.

The party has also sought to keep the alliance engaged, with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge hosting a lunch for INDIA bloc MPs in Delhi.

A Coordination Issue That Has Surfaced Before

The episode has also revived memories of an earlier disagreement during Parliament’s Monsoon Session.

Congress had then not initially informed its INDIA bloc partners about Rahul Gandhi’s plan to protest outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence, seeking the resignation of then Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the issue of alleged paper leaks.

Congress leaders later contacted the alliance partners, following which leaders such as Akhilesh Yadav and Supriya Sule joined Rahul Gandhi at the demonstration.

The latest episode once again highlights the challenge of coordinating a broad Opposition alliance, where individual parties may share a common political objective but differ over the timing, tactics and messaging of joint protests.