New Delhi, October 29 — Delhi is set for a mock-parliament face-off on Friday, October 30, after a citizens' group, Citizens for Democracy, announced a parallel session on the theme 'Democracy vs Anarchy' at the NDMC Convention Centre at 10.30 am — the same day the opposition INDIA bloc holds its 'public impeachment' programme against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, news agency ANI reported on Thursday.

Source: ANI via Desi Talk Chicago

At the Citizens for Democracy session, young participants from different parts of the country will enact parliamentary proceedings and take on the roles of prominent political leaders from both the ruling side and the Opposition, ANI reported. The debates will cover the independence and credibility of democratic institutions, parliamentary decorum, political accountability, transparency in the electoral process and the role of protests in a democracy, as well as the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Electronic Voting Machines, the role of the Election Commission, allegations of 'vote theft', recent protests and the distinction between democratic dissent and anarchy.

News18 reported that, according to the organisers, no BJP leader or MP will participate in the citizens' event, and that the counter-demonstration is aimed at opposing the public unrest that happens during street-level political protests. The group has described its programme as organised by citizens against what it calls attempts at 'regime change and anarchy on the streets' — the organisers' characterisation, reported by News18.

Source: News18 via The Daily Jagran

The INDIA bloc programme is the one the alliance first announced on October 24 and then moved to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's residence, 10 Rajaji Marg, after the Congress alleged it was denied permission at other venues — an allegation the party made against the government and Delhi Police. Ahead of Friday's programme, opposition leaders met at Kharge's residence on Thursday to discuss preparations; those present included Congress leaders Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, KC Venugopal, Meira Kumar, Jairam Ramesh, Pawan Khera and Gaurav Gogoi, CPI(M) leader John Brittas, TMC leader Derek O'Brien, Mahua Manjhi, RJD leader Abhay Sinha and Samajwadi Party leader Harendra Malik, ANI reported.

Source: ANI via LatestLY

According to sources cited by ANI, the INDIA bloc programme is being planned along the lines of a parliamentary proceeding, with around 40 speakers likely to participate, former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar expected to chair the session, and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Rajya Sabha Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge also expected to address it. CPI(M) MP John Brittas told reporters after Thursday's meeting: 'We have decided it would not be a mock impeachment. It would be the reflection of the aspirations of the people. We would have a proper impeachment process with a presiding officer there… Representatives from different parties will speak… Victims of SIR will also give evidence,' ANI reported. The programme is a symbolic political proceeding and carries no constitutional or legal effect on the CEC's position.

The ruling BJP, meanwhile, has stepped up its counter-campaign. BJP president Nitin Nabin chaired meetings at the party headquarters in New Delhi to review the ongoing 'Save Democracy, Remove Anarchy' campaign and discuss the party's response to the Opposition's allegations, with Union Ministers Piyush Goyal, Kiren Rijiju, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Bhupender Yadav and Ashwini Vaishnaw attending one of the meetings, ANI reported. On Wednesday, Nabin led the campaign's yatra in Delhi's Chandni Chowk and said, 'Democracy is in safe hands. The trust of democracy in public lies in PM Modi,' ANI reported.

Friday's competing programmes will be followed by the INDIA bloc's rally at Ramlila Maidan on November 1. Delhi Police has issued a no-objection certificate from the law-and-order perspective for that rally, subject to prior permission from the land-owning authority and conditions including concluding the gathering by 5 pm and prohibiting overnight stays, with the rally scheduled from 10 am to 5 pm, ANI reported.