By Smritika banerjee
Top leaders of the I.N.D.I.A. oc were forced to address a group of supporters from a tense roadside on Sunday as police barricades interrupted the ‘Gandi Se Ambedkar’ march in Patna, which brought full stop to a great display of opposition unity. The 14 day ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ in Bihar led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and supported by a number of notable political leaders was to be concluded by the march.
The procession began at Gandhi Maidan, where the leaders took a second to pay solemn floral tributes to the statue of Mahatma Gandhi, the very symbol of resistance without violence. The march followed a long line of supporters and party workers whose chants echoed through the street while the crowd moved towards the heart of the city. The goal of them was to offer tributes at the statue of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, a person whose legacy is intertwined with the freedom of every citizen of India.
The momentum of this march was however broken at the Dak Bungalow crossing. Police personnel stationed a firm line instructed the leaders and their followers to halt and declared the area beyond the crossing to be a “restricted zone”. This decision was a hindrance in the planned event, leaders like Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, attempted to reason with the authorities but it was of no help. Their plea was refused but the police suggested that a small, symbolic delegation might be permitted to proceed. However, this proposal was declined by the leaders.
Plans had to be changed because of the impasse. Instead of a successful ending, the leaders were forced to set up an impromptu stage at the crossing itself and speak to the media and public in a forceful act of defiance. Leaders like Yusuf Pathan, a TMC MP, were among the leaders who expressed their worries. Since its August 17 start in Sasaram, the ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ has meticulously travelled through 110 assembly constituencies and 25 of Bihar’s 38 districts in an effort to draw attention to what the Congress party has called “assault on peoples’ right to vote” and the state electoral rolls are being intensively revised. This abrupt end to the march only amplified their message, transforming this rally into a saddening statement on the challenges facing opposition movements.