Tharoor slams Delhi curbs over CJP protest, says ‘GenZ deserves better than Emer-GenZ’

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has criticised restrictions imposed across New Delhi ahead of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest at Jantar Mantar, accusing the authorities of suppressing dissent over concerns about the integrity of India's elections, NDTV reports.

In a post on X, Tharoor said a government confident in its electoral process should welcome questions rather than impose sweeping security restrictions, warning that the measures would deepen public suspicion.

"A government confident in the fairness of its elections would welcome questions about them, whereas one that turns its capital into a fortress to avoid them only deepens the very suspicions it seeks to suppress," Tharoor posted on X.

"The government should provide answers, not lathis; expression, not repression. Barricades will do nothing to restore faith in the Election Commission, and the sooner it answers the public's questions, the sooner calm will be restored," he added.

According to NDTV, Tharoor described the security arrangements in the capital as extraordinary, citing widespread checkpoints, concrete barriers, spike strips and the deployment of 22,000 police and paramilitary personnel.

He also referred to reports of 250 train cancellations, the closure of 45 Metro stations and the detention of young people from their homes and streets in and around Delhi.

Tharoor said the restrictions were intended to prevent citizens from peacefully questioning the integrity of the country's elections.

Calling the measures “regressive” and “repressive”, he also criticised the suspension of internet services in central Delhi and restrictions on movement around Jantar Mantar, a designated site for public demonstrations.

“Most regressive (as well as repressive) is the suspension of the internet in the heart of the national capital. Freedom of movement stands completely shackled. Jantar Mantar was designated precisely so that citizens could voice dissent in the centre of Delhi, and today even the roads leading to it have been declared out of bounds,” he wrote.

The Congress leader also questioned the authorities' ability to mobilise security personnel for protests while addressing women's safety in the capital.

"One is entitled to ask where this extraordinary manpower and urgency disappear when women in our capital need protection," he said.

Tharoor further warned that the detained protesters would eventually have to be released and questioned whether the authorities would impose similar restrictions if demonstrators returned on Monday.

"Those detained will have to be released. And if the protesters simply return on Monday, will the authorities lock down the national capital all over again? Our GenZ deserves better than an undeclared Emer-GenZ."

CJP leaders and hundreds of protesters were detained on Saturday as police moved to prevent the demonstration at Jantar Mantar against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

The protest centres on allegations concerning electoral integrity and voter-list changes, which have drawn criticism from opposition parties and activists.