"Questioning EC fairness harms country's reputation": Congress's Deepender Hooda slams Centre for detaining INDIA bloc leaders

New Delhi [India], August 11(ANI): Congress MP Deepender Singh Hooda on Monday said questioning the Election Commission's fairness harms the country's reputation as INDIA bloc MPs were detained by Delhi Police during their protest against Bihar's Special Intensive Revision.
Speaking to ANI, Hooda said,"The questions being raised on the fairness of the Election Commission are bad for the reputation of the country."
Speaking at the same protest, Congress General Secretary and MP KC Venugopal slammed the Centre and the Delhi police. He questioned the state of democracy, stating that MPs lack the freedom to approach the Election Commission of India (ECI).
"The police and government are not allowing us to march for even 30 seconds. They want to stop us here. What democracy is there in the country? MPs don't have the freedom to go to the Election Commission," the Congress MP told reporters.
He added that the ECI has allowed only 30 individuals to enter the ECI's office.
Earlier today, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi and other INDIA bloc MPs were detained by the Delhi Police during their protest march against the Election Commission.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut, TMC MP Sagarika Ghose, and other MPs were also among those detained by the police.
The detained MPs were corralled into a bus to be taken to the Parliament Street police station.
Congress MP Renuka Chaudhary said, "At every step, our reaction will depend on their action. It is our duty in a democracy to stand with the common people and raise their voice in the Parliament. Their constitutional rights are being taken. We are not asking the government for anything from its treasury... They are trying to scare us by deploying police... Why have the Election Commission allowed only 20-30 MPs? Are they giving an appointment that is limited to a certain number of people?..."

Rahul Gandhi said that the Opposition's fight is not a political fight but a fight to save the Constitution.
"The reality is that they cannot talk. The truth is in front of the country. This fight is not political. This fight is to save the Constitution. This fight is for One Man, One Vote. We want a clean, pure voters list," the Congress leader said.
However, the protest came in for sharp criticism from the Government with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju accusing the opposition of not believing in the constitution.
Kiren Rijiju sais, "These people (INDIA alliance) do not believe in the Constitution... Whatever one party, one family, or one person does cannot be Constitutional. In a democracy, those people do not believe in the Constitution. We are from a democratic party... These people do not have any faith in democracy." (ANI)