'Narendra Modi vote chor, Gyanesh Kumar gaddi chodo': Dhruv Rathee, Prakash Raj chant during CJP protest in Bengaluru

YouTuber and political commentator Dhruv Rathee and actor-activist Prakash Raj joined the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)'s mega protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar at Bengaluru's Freedom Park on Thursday.

The protest, centred on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, saw protesters raising slogans such as "SIR radd karo" and "Gyanesh Kumar gaddi chhodo". The CJP organised a "People's Tribunal" where people who claimed to have been affected by the voter-list revision were invited to share their experiences. The programme was followed by a symbolic "Chappal Protest".

The protest had been announced ahead of time by CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke and other organisers, with Prakash Raj urging people to participate. Dhruv Rathee later confirmed that he would attend the Bengaluru protest and joined Dipke, Prakash Raj and other campaigners at the venue.

At the protest venue, CJP leaders Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka appeared on stage with Rathee and Prakash Raj as the crowd raised slogans including "vote chor, vote chor". Other slogans reported at the protest included "Error 404 - Name Not Found" and "Gyanesh, it's done bro".

Prakash Raj, who has been vocal about his criticism of the SIR exercise, demanded that the revision process be scrapped. He said the objective of the protest was not merely to seek the removal of Gyanesh Kumar but to oppose the SIR exercise itself.

"The aim of this protest is not to remove CEC Gyanesh Kumar alone. If he goes, another will replace him. The aim is to scrap the SIR," Raj said while addressing the gathering.

The actor also criticised the SIR process, saying that the issue was about citizens' voting rights. "In this country, people used to decide who forms the government, but with SIR, the government is deciding who will vote," Raj said. His remarks were made in the context of the protesters' opposition to the voter-list revision.

Rathee also addressed the gathering and said he had not joined the protest for "regime change". He criticised the Election Commission over the SIR process and alleged a lack of transparency and accountability.

The CJP and allied groups have been demanding the resignation of Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the SIR exercise. They have also sought the scrapping of deletions made during the revision and the retention of pre-SIR electoral rolls. These are demands and allegations raised by the protesters.

The People's Tribunal was organised to hear accounts from people across Karnataka who claimed they had been affected by the SIR exercise. Organisers said the event would provide a platform for those who alleged that their names had been wrongly removed from electoral rolls.

The protest also brought together several youth and civil society representatives, including JNU student leader Aishe Ghosh and activist Neha Bora. The event was part of a wider campaign against the SIR exercise and demands concerning the Election Commission.

The Bengaluru protest comes amid a wider political confrontation over the SIR exercise. Opposition parties and activists have raised concerns over voter-list revisions, while the Election Commission and BJP have rejected allegations of wrongdoing. Reuters reported that the Election Commission and BJP denied accusations that the voter-list revision was being manipulated for political advantage.

The CJP has also planned a larger demonstration at Delhi's Jantar Mantar on October 10. The Bengaluru protest is therefore being seen as part of a broader campaign demanding changes to the SIR exercise and action concerning the Election Commission.

With Rathee and Prakash Raj joining the Bengaluru protest, the campaign over the SIR exercise and demands concerning CEC Gyanesh Kumar has drawn further attention, with more demonstrations expected in the coming days.