TOI correspondent from London: YouTuber Dhruv Rathee attended a protest outside the Mahatma Gandhi statue in London’s Parliament Square on Saturday over alleged irregularities in the special intensive revision of electoral rolls in India, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Despite calling Indians to attend the protest on his X handle, saying “It’s time the world sees the reality of vote chor and murderer of democracy,” Rathee, who flew to London from India on Friday, arrived at the protest on Saturday two hours late and then led chants and gave a speech. Hundreds of Indian students turned up waving Communist flags, Congress flags and Indian Workers Association flags. It was organised by SFI-UK and other groups. They chanted: “Modi is a traitor,” called for “Azadi” (freedom) from the current BJP govt and shouted “Vote Chor, Gaddi Chhod!” (“Vote thief, leave the throne”). Some held up a stuffed toy monkey.
A smaller counter-protest was organised at the eleventh hour by pro-Modi supporters
A smaller counter-protest was organised at the eleventh hour by pro-Modi supporters who waved the tricolour while shouting “Vande Mataram”, “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” and “Modi, Modi”. Hirdesh Gupta, who attended the counter-protest, said: “They are trying to make it an international issue and divide the Indian diaspora here which is very bad. This has got nothing to do with the UK.”