PoliticsOpposition
Rally-bound vehicles stuck at Sarhaul border as opposition MPs say buses and trains are being held up
Congress workers caught in a jam at the Delhi-Gurugram border set off on foot, while Sanjay Raut and Samajwadi Party MPs accused the authorities of stopping supporters on their way to Ramlila Maidan.
Key points
- Vehicles heading to the rally were stuck in a jam at the Sarhaul border.
- Sanjay Raut alleged that trains and buses had been held up.
- SP MP Rajeev Rai said checkpoints had been set up at state borders.
Vehicles carrying supporters to the INDIA bloc rally were caught in a heavy jam at the Sarhaul border between Delhi and Gurugram on Sunday, and Congress workers stuck in the queue got out and began walking. The jam was reported at about 12:30 pm.
The hold-ups gave opposition leaders a fresh charge. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut, arriving for what he called a “mega rally” shortly after noon, alleged that people were being stopped from reaching Delhi and that trains and buses had been held up. He said the opposition would keep up its agitation until Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar resigned.
Samajwadi Party MP Rajeev Rai made a similar charge. “Buses are being intercepted at state borders, checkpoints have been set up,” he said. His party colleague Iqra Hasan said attending the rally was “our fundamental right” and added: “Today, we will show those in power that this issue is not limited to political parties.”
Congress MP Sukhdeo Bhagat made the same point, saying the event had become a mobilisation of citizens and was not limited to INDIA bloc parties.
There was no immediate response from the police or the Railways to the allegations. Delhi Police had earlier put about 10,000 personnel on duty for the rally and had diverted traffic in central Delhi from 10 am to 5 pm. Organisers have projected a turnout of up to 10 lakh; police put the ground’s capacity at around 50,000.