Congress' Jairam Ramesh criticises Jantar Mantar denotification, accuses government of undermining democratic protests

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh and Abhijeet Dipke criticised the reported denotification of Jantar Mantar as a designated protest site, alleging that the move undermined democracy and the right to protest. Ramesh accused the government of targeting peaceful demonstrations, while Dipke claimed the issue was not merely the protest site but the idea of people protesting.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh and CJP activist Abhijeet Dipke on Monday criticised the denotification of Jantar Mantar as a designated protest site, accusing the government of restricting democratic protests and targeting the right to dissent. In a post on X, Ramesh alleged that the move reflected the panic within the Prime Minister and Home Minister's leadership, claiming that Jantar Mantar would no longer serve as a place where democracy received a regular boost.

“It is a definite sign of the extreme panic that has gripped the PM-HM duo that the historic Jantar Mantar will no longer be a place where our democracy is given a daily booster dose,” Ramesh wrote. “The poisonous pair is embattled, and we have seen in the past few days how brutally they have dealt with peaceful public protests. Democracy no longer matters to them. It is all a matter of Demokursi,” he added.

Meanwhile, Dipke, in a post on X, alleged that the decision to denotify Jantar Mantar as a designated protest site was an attempt to undermine democratic rights. "Today, Modi denotified Jantar Mantar as a designated protest site. Tomorrow, he will denotify democracy itself. The dictator’s problem was never the protest site. It was the very idea of people protesting," Dipke wrote.

According to an official notice, Jantar Mantar on Monday was de-notified as a designated venue for organising protests and demonstrations in Delhi, with the Delhi Police designating three new locations for the purpose. The three new designated protest venues are Ramlila Ground, Burari Ground and CBD Ground in East Delhi.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had constituted a committee to examine alternative venues for citizens to exercise their right to organise protests and demonstrations in place of the existing designated site. Based on the committee's recommendations, Jantar Mantar has been de-notified as a protest venue, the notice stated. (ANI)