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Tens of thousands of people in India have taken to the streets in recent days to protest the deletion of 130 million names from the voter rolls, a large majority of which are believed to be opposed to Narendra Modi’s ruling BJP party. The demonstrations, joined by leaders from India’s opposition parties, are being led by students and the youth-led “Cockroach” movement. Tens of thousands of security forces, including paramilitary and police, were out on the streets over the weekend cracking down on the uprising, detaining protesters en masse, including lawyers, journalists and protest leaders.

The demonstrations “represent an outpouring of anger, of frustration at what many Indians feel is the fact that their democracy has been taken away,” says Shoaib Daniyal, political editor of Scroll, who was arrested on Saturday along with 7,000 other protesters. He points out that “the deletions have affected Muslims far more than they have affected other Indians.”

On Monday, in one of largest recent protests in India’s capital of New Delhi, India’s main opposition leader, Rahul Gandhi of the Congress Party, led a march to the Supreme Court of India. “This march has become a people’s march, with all of them heading towards this constitutional authority, which they feel should safeguard the rights of Indian people, especially this very basic right to vote,” says Jahnavi Sen, managing editor of The Wire.

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.

ANJALI KAMAT: In India, the right-wing government of Narendra Modi is facing its biggest challenge yet in 12 years in power, as tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets to protest what they call vote theft. At issue is the deletion of 130 million names from the voter rolls, and the vast majority of those deletions are believed to be opposed to Prime Minister Modi’s ruling BJP party.

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The protests are being led by students and the youth Cockroach movement and joined by leaders from the opposition parties. They’re demanding the resignation of the chief election commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, and an overhaul of the electoral system. The Cockroach movement started after the chief justice of India’s Supreme Court compared unemployed youth to cockroaches earlier this year.

Today, in one of largest recent protests in India’s capital of New Delhi, India’s main opposition leader, Rahul Gandhi of the Congress Party, is leading a march to the Supreme Court of India. Speaking to reporters earlier today, Gandhi reiterated the call for the election commissioner to resign.

RAHUL GANDHI: Narendra Modi is blocking the whole town, is putting 30,000-40,000 police people outside. For what? Because the opposition is asking one question: Prove to us that you have not cheated in the election. Prove to us that you’ve not cheated in the election.

RAHUL GANDHI: Narendra Modi is blocking the whole town, is putting 30,000-40,000 police people outside. For what? Because the opposition is asking one question: Prove to us that you have not cheated in the election. Prove to us that you’ve not cheated in the election.

AMY GOODMAN: The Modi government put New Delhi in lockdown ahead of Saturday’s protests, canceling trains to the city, shutting down metro stations, even suspending mobile internet in large parts of Delhi. Tens of thousands of security forces, including paramilitary and police, were mobilized across the city, and at least 7,000 people were detained Saturday alone, including protest leaders, lawyers and journalists. This is a protester speaking to reporters from inside a van where he was detained.

PROTESTER: [translated] The Modi government is scared of us. That is why we have been picked up from halfway. We didn’t even know where they were trying to bring us. [in English] This is just fear. And they are afraid of us because they have done something wrong, and you cannot do something wrong with the people of this country, man.

PROTESTER: [translated] The Modi government is scared of us. That is why we have been picked up from halfway. We didn’t even know where they were trying to bring us. [in English] This is just fear. And they are afraid of us because they have done something wrong, and you cannot do something wrong with the people of this country, man.

AMY GOODMAN: Several Cockroach movement leaders were also arrested right off the plane as they arrived in Delhi for the protest Saturday morning. After being released the next morning, Saurav Das, one of the leaders of the Cockroach People’s Party, vowed protests would continue.

SAURAV DAS: The protests are on. The protests will go on. [translated] The youth of the........

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