00:00I want to get a quick update from Supriya Srinath, the Congress's social media head and someone who was with
00:06Priyanka Gandhi and has just been released.
00:09You've also been released with Priyanka Gandhi, Vardra. Supriya Srinath, give us a sense. What is the strategy?
00:15Is this going to be now day after day you're courting arrest? What really is the grand strategy here?
00:21Because the BJP is saying very clearly that the chief election commissioner is going nowhere and he doesn't seem to
00:27be even responding to you.
00:30So Rajdeep, a good evening to you. And I find it very baffling that somebody would turn around and say
00:36that this is a Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi show.
00:39The reality is that this is a fight for our constitution. This is a fight that we are fighting.
00:44And unfortunately, we are being physically tortured in fighting this fight. We are fighting for every vote that matters.
00:52Quite frankly, what the Delhi police is doing upon instructions from Amit Shah and Narendra Modi are shocking.
00:58This is a brutal police force that has been let loose to come down heavily on opposition leaders.
01:05Some of them are elected representatives. They represent lacks and lacks of people.
01:09Rahul Gandhi is the leader of the opposition, represents the entire opposition.
01:13The entire opposition was out on the streets yesterday, all the MPs. Why would Gyanesh Kumar not meet them?
01:18So I don't know if this is, you know, this isn't a, it's my show or it's their show.
01:24This is a fight for our constitution. This is a fight for the very basis of our democracy, which is
01:29one person, one vote.
01:31And that is being tampered with. And Rajdeep, very, very briefly, I do want to say something.
01:35Yes, we were physically manhandled. Yes, we were pushed. We were shoved. All of that.
01:39That is not the issue. The issue is not even how Priyanka Gandhi, my leader, was manhandled and how she
01:46was shoved into the bus and how she refused to let go of that constitution.
01:50The issue is, why is Gyanesh Kumar being shielded? There is proof now.
01:55The Supreme Court has turned around and said that we did not give approval to the change Form 6.
02:01Who changed Form 6? That is the question. Where are the answers?
02:04All of this will be settled in the court, Supriya Srinath. I just want to understand what's the grand strategy.
02:09You're saying it's a fight for the constitution. On the 10th of October, Saturday, the Kokhrut Janta Party is planning
02:14a similar protest, a Jantar Mantar.
02:16Is there an element of one-upmanship? Is there an element of one-upmanship that you, you're saying that you
02:22can't call it the Rahul Priyanka Gandhi show,
02:24but today the Samajwadi Party, your ally, was not even present.
02:28It seems to me that this is Congress dominated or Congress driven.
02:32Rajdeep, with all due respect to all my allies, and I think I respect them more than anybody would,
02:39Congress is India's principal opposition party. We've got a hundred odd MPs.
02:43We are present from Kanyakumari in the south to Kashmir in the north.
02:47What do you expect us to do? And what does this government or what does this country's media expect India's
02:53opposition to do?
02:54That because it's going to be settled in the court, we're just going to sit there idle, quiddling our thumbs,
02:59doing nothing.
02:59Obviously, we'll be raising the people's voices. I'll give you a small anecdote, Rajdeep.
03:03We were being driven from the Meridian roundabout, where we were detained and arrested,
03:08and you were showing visuals of Priyanka Gandhi while she was detained,
03:11to Chhatrasal Stadium, which is a good 40 minute to an hour drive, and this was peak traffic time.
03:16And when Priyanka Gandhi was getting out of the bus and showing that constitution,
03:20and we were raising slogans, not one person,
03:24not one person objected. Everybody responded.
03:28Young people, girls, boys, people on bikes, people in buses around us,
03:33everybody waved, gave a thumbs up.
03:35That's the mood of the nation, which I'm sorry.
03:39Is that the mood of the nation or the mood of Congress workers?
03:42I'm sorry to sound skeptical, but is this about ensuring that the Kokruj Janata Party
03:47doesn't steal your thunder come the 10th of October?
03:51If you think India's principal opposition party is going to be,
03:55you know, unreasonably annoyed or unreasonably perturbed
04:00with an outfit that wants to stage a protest,
04:03well, I have very little to say to that.
04:05You know, protesting in this country is as fundamental a right as a right to vote.
04:11And everybody is welcome to protest.
04:13You really think the Congress, which is present from Kashmir to Kanya Kumari,
04:17from Porbandar all the way to Assam,
04:20is going to be perturbed because somebody else is protesting?
04:23I mean, give us more credit than you guys sometimes do.
04:26The reality is that the leader of the opposition,
04:28a five-time elected MP,
04:30a man who represents 65% of India's vote,
04:33was being manhandled on the streets of Delhi.
04:36And the discussion we are having in is,
04:38somebody is protesting on the 10th.
04:40They must, they should, everybody can protest.
04:43Okay, so what's this?
04:44Everybody should protest.
04:45Okay, everybody should protest.
04:46Everyone has the right to peaceful protest.
04:48So what's the strategy?
04:49Because given, as I said, the fact that the BJP is making it clear,
04:53they are standing behind Gyanesh Kumar.
04:54Gyanesh Kumar is showing no signs of even meeting you guys.
04:58I mean, what's the strategy?
04:59Is it tomorrow's got black days?
05:00Every day now going to be a day of protest?
05:02How long can you sustain it?
05:05We will sustain it for as long as it is required.
05:09We will sustain it till Gyanesh Kumar goes.
05:11We will sustain it till India's elections become free and independent,
05:15which woefully they are not today.
05:18That's part one of your question being answered.
05:20Part two of your question, what is our strategy?
05:22Our strategy is to ensure that a man who has done treachery and treason against the Indian state,
05:29by playing around with our right to vote, has to go.
05:33There is no way Gyanesh Kumar can survive.
05:35And the third part of your question needs to be answered even more boldly.
05:39And I would like to say, don't you wonder why is the BJP shielding Gyanesh Kumar?
05:43Don't you and don't everybody in media wonder what is with Gyanesh Kumar and why is the BJP jumping in
05:49to protect him?
05:50Yesterday Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi were sitting on a dharna.
05:53The Bharatiya Janata Party did five press conferences.
05:56I don't know how many have they done today.
05:58Why are you jumping to Gyanesh Kumar's defence?
06:01Because the reality is, you have not come into the government,
06:04you have not been sworn in as Prime Minister on the basis of the votes of the people.
06:08You are an illegal Prime Minister, you are an illegitimate government
06:12that has come on account of vote chori done by Gyanesh Kumar, your puppet.
06:16And which is why you are defending him.
06:18Okay, I will ask you then the provocative question that I have been asking many Congress spokespersons.
06:22If it's an illegitimate government, if it's been illegally elected,
06:25will you boycott the next elections if Gyanesh Kumar continues as the chief election commissioner?
06:30If Uttar Pradesh in four months is held under his leadership, will you boycott it?
06:34You know, that's the central question, isn't that?
06:37That will give moral clarity.
06:38At the moment you are protesting, he is not resigning
06:41and you will continue to fight the elections in what you believe is a rigged system.
06:46The vocal answer to your question is a resounding no.
06:50We will not boycott the Indian elections because India's elections have to be free, fair and independent.
06:57People are now realizing that elections are rigged, people are out on the streets, people are protesting.
07:02They will ensure that their votes are safeguarded.
07:05Do not underestimate the collective intelligence and the collective will
07:09and the collective faith that India's people have in our democracy and in our electoral process.
07:14Why should we boycott elections?
07:16We represent 65% of India's vote share.
07:18Where will they go?
07:19Who will they go to?
07:20Why should we let them down?
07:22This is a question that needs to be answered in a resounding no.
07:26We are not boycotting.
07:27We will not let Narendra Modi live the dream of having no opposition at all.
07:32Final question.
07:33Final question.
07:34The BJP says this is immaturity.
07:37Hitting street protests is not the way you can bring in electoral reforms.
07:41Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi-Wadra are being immature about it.
07:45This is not the way to ask for change.
07:48Your quick response.
07:49Rajdeep, the BJP will now decide how the opposition stages a protest.
07:54Will the BJP, and I will say this finally, will the BJP now, sorry, will the BJP now decide how
08:03do we stage a protest?
08:04Will the BJP now decide how the Indian opposition will raise its voices?
08:09Will the BJP now decide how we represent the people?
08:12Will the BJP now decide where and when will we sit on dharna?
08:16Will the BJP now decide where are we going to be arrested?
08:19Yes, they are deciding that we will be manhandled.
08:21Yes, they are deciding we are physically manhandled.
08:25We are pushed.
08:25We are shoved.
08:26We are pinched.
08:27All of that is happening.
08:28We are seeing what is happening to women.
08:29And it's not just the opposition.
08:31Look at how they treated young girls.
08:33Look at how they treated young protesters.
08:34So students, is the BJP going to decide that?
08:37Absolutely not.
08:38Their ego will be handled and it will be handled by the people of this country.
08:43Let me leave it there, Supriya Srinit.
08:45You are on your way back from that detention.
08:47Appreciate that you took the time off to join us.
08:49Thank you very much.
