![Delhi Minister and AAP leader Saurabh Bhardwaj interacts with Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Derek O’Brien during a ‘dharna’ staged by the latter with other TMC leaders at Mandir Marg police station, in New Delhi, on April 9, 2024. Delhi Minister and AAP leader Saurabh Bhardwaj interacts with Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Derek O’Brien during a ‘dharna’ staged by the latter with other TMC leaders at Mandir Marg police station, in New Delhi, on April 9, 2024.](https://www.thehindu.com/theme/images/th-online/1x1_spacer.png)
Delhi Minister and AAP chief Saurabh Bhardwaj interacts with Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Derek O’Brien throughout a ‘dharna’ staged by the latter with different TMC leaders at Mandir Marg police station, in New Delhi, on April 9, 2024.
| Photograph Credit score: PTI
Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders who had been detained by Delhi Police whereas staging a dharna exterior the Election Fee’s workplace continued their protest at Mandir Marg police station on April 9.
AAP leaders, together with Saurabh Bharadwaj, met the protesting TMC leaders who camped in a single day on the police station.
The TMC leaders had met the total bench of the EC on Monday, demanding that the heads of the Enforcement Directorate, Central Bureau of Investigation, Nationwide Investigation Company and Earnings Tax division be modified as they had been allegedly appearing on the behest of the ruling BJP.
The TMC leaders later introduced they had been sitting on a 24-hour dharna exterior the EC workplace. The delegation comprised Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien, Mohammed Nadimul Haque, Dola Sen, Saket Gokhale, Sagarika Ghose, MLA Vivek Gupta, former MPs Arpita Ghosh, Santanu Sen and Abir Ranjan Biswas and TMC West Bengal college students’ wing vice-president Sudip Raha. The leaders had been later detained by Delhi Police and forcefully evicted from the positioning.
Police stated they launched the TMC leaders on Monday night time. Nonetheless, the leaders stayed put on the police station by the night time and continued their dharna.
“Today, they again came back to the police station. They are still allowed to go but they are not leaving the police station,” a police officer stated.
In a put up on X on Tuesday, Mr. Gokhale stated the celebration leaders had been persevering with their protest on the police station.
“We 10 MPs & former MPs from the TMC started a 24hr peaceful dharna outside the Election Commission last evening… We were manhandled by Delhi Police, detained, taken around Delhi, and finally dumped at Mandir Marg Police Station.
“As we stated – our protest is for twenty-four hrs. We’re all at Mandir Marg Police Station, the place we had been detained, silently carrying on our protest,” he said.
“Modi, Shah, & BJP are openly utilizing Central Businesses as their marketing campaign instruments & going after the Opposition,” Gokhale said.
In another post, he thanked AAP leaders for their support.
While all TMC leaders sat inside the police station premises, Mr. Haque and Mr. Ghose, who had gone out briefly, were not allowed to re-enter. They sat on a dharna outside the boundary of the police station.
“I used to be right here all night time and had gone dwelling within the morning. Now we’re not being allowed to enter the police station,” Mr. Haque said.
“They’re saying we’ll not mean you can be part of the protest… My level is {that a} police station is a public place. If an MP will not be being allowed inside, what in regards to the frequent folks,” he said.
Asked about the police statement that the TMC leaders were released from detention on Monday evening, Haque said, “We had introduced a 24-hour dharna. They didn’t enable us to take a seat in entrance of the EC and introduced us right here. So, we’re sitting right here,” he said.
AAP’s Bharadwaj condemned the police action against the TMC leaders.
“TMC leaders went to the EC to demand that the assaults on opposition by businesses like ED, IT (division) and CBI be stopped. Prime Minister [Narendra Modi] is campaigning throughout the nation day-after-day whereas raids are being carried out in opposition to opposition leaders in order that they can not marketing campaign,” he said.
The Mamata Banerjee-led TMC has been alleging that the central probe agencies have been targeting opposition parties ahead of the Lok Sabha polls at the behest of the BJP-led central government.