BJP Kerala chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar says protests are democratic, but violence and anarchy are not

BJP Kerala president Rajeev Chandrasekhar has said peaceful protests are “a democratic right”, but maintained that violence, anarchy and lawlessness have no place in a democracy.

In a post on X, Mr. Chandrasekhar said, “Protests are a part of democracy and is a right of every citizen. Agreed.” He added, “Violent protests are not democracy. Anarchy is not democracy. Lawlessness is not democracy.”

Stressing the rule of law, the BJP leader said, “It is the right and expectation of every citizen that Law holds lawbreakers accountable; that law prevails over anarchy.”

Mr. Chandrasekhar’s remarks came a day after Opposition leaders, including Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, were detained by the police after staging a surprise dharna outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence in New Delhi, demanding his resignation.

The protest in the high-security zone prompted the government to send Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Jitendra Singh and Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan to persuade the Opposition leaders to vacate the area.

Rahul Gandhi said the opposition had planned the protest to draw national attention to issues concerning students, including the alleged police action against them in Delhi.

He also demanded the resignations of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, withdrawal of cases against the students, and reforms in the examination system.