Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Monday reiterated his advice to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to resign and turn approver, saying this would be a service to the nation and could spare him. Declaring that the Opposition would not back down, Rahul said its immediate demand was Gyanesh’s removal, after which it would pursue Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah over alleged electoral wrongdoing.Addressing a press conference in the national capital ahead of the ‘Chalo Delhi – March for Democracy’, Rahul accused the Modi government of protecting the CEC and alleged that restrictions were being imposed to prevent people from reaching the national capital to join the protests. He said the Opposition was preparing evidence to submit to President Droupadi Murmu and would pursue the matter through legal and political channels.Rahul questioned why Delhi was being turned into a fortress, with 20,000 to 30,000 police personnel deployed and people allegedly being stopped from reaching the city. He claimed trains and buses were being intercepted and passengers made to get off to prevent them from joining the demonstrations against alleged ‘vote chori’ and irregularities in the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.“Why is Delhi being jailed? Why is the capital city of India in jail?” he asked.Rahul said the heavy police deployment would not deter the Opposition, adding that it wanted the country to see how the government was responding to the movement. “Our strategy is different. We want these many policemen to be on the roads. We want this. The government is committing a big blunder. We want to show the country that the government and Modi are protecting Gyanesh Kumar,” he said.Issuing a direct warning to the CEC, Rahul said the campaign would continue until he resigned and those responsible for alleged electoral wrongdoing were held accountable. He claimed Kumar was not the ultimate decision-maker and that the Opposition intended to reach those directing the Election Commission’s actions.“We have information about you. We know your past. We understand your corruption. We know it. We are waiting,” he said.Rahul maintained that the movement went beyond the demand for the CEC’s resignation, asserting that the Opposition would continue its fight until the electoral system was reformed, the Constitution protected and justice delivered. He said the resistance had been building for years and had now taken the form of a wider public movement.“Till the CEC does not go, the electoral system is not revamped, the Constitution is not upheld, till justice is not delivered to the citizens, Indian youth and Opposition will not stop,” he said.He claimed that around 200 government officials were in contact with people around him and that some officials associated with the Enforcement Directorate, the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Ministry of External Affairs were sharing information with the Opposition.“Do whatever you want, we won’t back out,” Rahul said, adding that young people across the country wanted to defend democracy and regarded the Constitution as central to their values.He also claimed that some police personnel were uncomfortable with being deployed against protesting students and young people, questioning why they were being asked to stop demonstrators while individuals allegedly linked to the RSS and BJP were being allowed to move freely.Appealing to people to express solidarity with the Constitution and the national flag, Rahul said the recent demonstrations were only the visible expression of a resistance that had been building for years.“Don’t think it started five days ago. Expression is seen now. Resistance has been going on for years together. It is our perseverance,” he said.“They may stop us today, tomorrow or the day after. A country is made like this. The country is not protected in a day or two. Month, two months, years, we won’t back down, no matter how much time it takes,” he added.Rejecting suggestions that different demonstrations represented separate campaigns, Rahul said all protests were part of one movement. He said the Opposition was fighting on several fronts, including the legal, political and psychological fronts, and sought to change public understanding of the state of democracy.“All the protests are one. There are no parallel protests. India is marching,” he said.“We are not fighting for the street. We are fighting for the mind,” he added.Rahul also alleged that the governance model promoted by Modi benefited powerful corporate interests, including industrialist Mukesh Ambani, at the cost of ordinary citizens and their children. He challenged the government to demonstrate that elections had not been manipulated.“The Opposition is asking one question. Prove to us you have not cheated in the elections,” he said.Asked whether Kumar had attempted to contact him, Rahul said messages had come through people around him and that several individuals on behalf of the government had reached out. He said he had not spoken to them personally and saw no need for private telephone conversations when his position was being stated publicly.“I don’t need to talk to them on the phone. I have nothing to hide. I believe in full transparency. What I have to talk, I speak from here,” he said.Rahul said the CEC could still be spared if he resigned, while making it clear that the Opposition would not compromise on its stated objective of defending the Constitution.“We understand the pressure you are under. We are forgiving people. We are not cruel people. But we will defend the Constitution,” he said.