Mumbai: Renowned filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj joined the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in Mumbai’s Shivaji Park Friday.
However, addressing the media, the ‘Haidar’ maker said that he is unaware of what has happened and has joined the protest to simply extend his support.
He further added that supporting such issues is a personal choice.
Bhardwaj said, “I don’t know whether anything has happened to anyone. I have come here only to extend my support. Whether Bollywood should also support this issue is an individual and personal matter. I am a part of Bollywood, but other people may feel that bigger stars should come forward. It is an individual choice. If someone feels that what is happening is wrong, they have to come out in support. If they don’t feel that way, they may choose not to.”
Others from Hindi film industry, including veteran actors Shabana Azmi, Naseeruddin Shah, and singer-composer Vishal Dadlani, also joined the protest organized by CPJ October 2.
Led by CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, the protest was to demand the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. They are also demanding a halt to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process concerning electoral rolls. However, the Election Commission has denied any wrongdoing, claiming that the removals were aimed at excluding duplicate, deceased or otherwise ineligible voters from the list.
Meanwhile, speaking during the CJP protest, Shabana said, “Our vote is our right, it is our voice, we have been hearing this since childhood. But when our right is snatched away from us, when our names are removed from the electoral rolls, what will we do? We will protest. This is our right. Today, look around and see how far your eyes can reach, this is the victory of democracy. Because we have recognised our own strength, and we have realised that we do not have to tolerate anything wrong, because this is our country, our Constitution has given us this right. So, many congratulations to all of you.”
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