NEW DELHI: Union home minister Amit Shah visited the Delhi Police headquarters on Jai Singh Road on Saturday to meet senior police officials and discuss the law and order situation in the national capital.Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta also arrived at the headquarters.Shah reached the headquarters around 3 pm, where senior officers were expected to brief him on the force’s performance, ongoing investigations and key law enforcement challenges, officials said.The visit comes amid heightened scrutiny of the Delhi Police over allegations of excessive force against protesters during the Cockroach Janata Party’s (CJP) ‘Sansad Chalo’ march in July.The visit marks Shah’s return to the Delhi Police headquarters after more than four years. He last visited the facility on August 30, 2022.The meeting comes as the Congress and other INDIA bloc parties prepare for a rally at Ramlila Maidan on November 1, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar amid ongoing protests against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.Congress MP Jebi Mather said the rally was a joint decision taken after consultations with INDIA bloc parties and maintained that there were no differences within the opposition over the demand for the CEC’s resignation.“The November 1st rally is by the Congress party with the INDIA bloc, and it is decided after consultations with the INDIA bloc, and it’s a joint decision, and there’s nothing particular about the date, but we have a series of protests. We have had a series of protests. We have different mechanisms and systems we put in place for our demand that Gyanesh Kumar must resign,” she said.Describing the proposed gathering as a nationwide mobilisation, Mather said political parties from across the country would join the rally to press for Kumar’s resignation.“This is a mega rally from across the country; different parties, everybody is going to come together and have a strong demand that Gyanesh Kumar must resign. So there are no differences within the INDIA bloc or opposition parties about this,” she said.
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Mather added that the rally would send a united message on protecting democracy and restoring fairness in the electoral system.Senior Congress MP KC Venugopal said the rally was intended to demonstrate opposition unity amid the agitation against the CEC.“Our programs against the criminal Vote Chori orchestrated by Gyanesh & Co. – at Modi-Shah’s behest – will be historic. People from all across the country will be attending in massive numbers, and it will send a strong message to every corner of India that we are united in protecting our democracy and driving these Vote Chors out of power,” he said.Venugopal had announced the November 1 rally on October 5 as part of the ongoing agitation against the SIR and CEC Gyanesh Kumar.