News Analysis India

Tag: congress protest

  • Congress’s protest in black clothes message against Ayodhya Ram temple: Shah

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday linked Congress leaders’ protest in black clothes over the issues of price rise and unemployment to the party’s “appeasement” politics to convey its opposition to the Ram temple foundation laying by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on this day in 2020.

    Speaking to reporters at Parliament house complex, Shah said everybody saw protests from Congress leaders of late in regular clothes they wore but they especially chose black clothes for Friday’s agitation as Modi had peacefully resolved an over 550-year dispute involving the Ram Janmbhoomi in Ayodhya and performed its ‘shilanyas’ on this day.

    The construction of the temple, central to the faith of crores of people, is now in full swing, he noted.

    The issues of ED action and price rise are only excuses, Shah claimed, adding that the Congress has chosen to express its opposition to the foundation-laying ceremony and the ongoing construction of the temple by protesting in black clothes.

    The Congress hit back saying only a “sick mind” can produce such bogus arguments and give a malicious twist to the protests.

    “Home Minister has made a desperate attempt to divert, distract, polarise and give a malicious twist to today’s democratic protests of @INCIndia against price rise,unemployment & GST. It’s only a sick mind which can produce such bogus arguments. Clearly the protests have hit home!” party general secretary Jairam Ramesh tweeted.

    Shah claimed that as the Congress cannot dare speak openly against the issue, it has given a hidden message of its stand against the temple’s foundation-stone laying as well as construction.

    “I clearly believe that the Congress has chosen August 5 for its strong protests in black clothes to show its opposition over the temple issue,” he said.

    The real anguish of the Congress is the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, and this is why it undertakes some protest on this day every year, Shah said.

    With the Congress and protesting against the Enforcement Directorate action against its top leaders in the National Herald case, he said everyone should respect the legal system and follow and cooperate with judicial process.

    The home minister said the Congress is not willing to drop its “appeasement politics” despite facing so many poll defeats.

    He noted that the Congress had been protesting on the issues like the Enforcement Directorate action against its leaders and price rise since Parliament’s monsoon session last month.

    What was so special today, he asked, adding that there was no ED action on Friday.

    “It was on this day Modi laid the foundation stone for the temple at Ram Janmbhoomi which is the centre of faith of crores of people. The dispute had remained unresolved for over 550 years, and the Congress which was in power for most of time since independence did nothing to resolve it. Modi worked to find a solution peacefully and laid the temple’s foundations stone. It is that sacred day today,” Shah said.

    The politics of appeasement has harmed the country a lot since independence and all parties should leave it, he said.

    Wearing black clothes, Congress leaders hit the streets to protest against price rise and unemployment with a host of them, including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, being detained by police for nearly six hours.

    NEW DELHI: Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday linked Congress leaders’ protest in black clothes over the issues of price rise and unemployment to the party’s “appeasement” politics to convey its opposition to the Ram temple foundation laying by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on this day in 2020.

    Speaking to reporters at Parliament house complex, Shah said everybody saw protests from Congress leaders of late in regular clothes they wore but they especially chose black clothes for Friday’s agitation as Modi had peacefully resolved an over 550-year dispute involving the Ram Janmbhoomi in Ayodhya and performed its ‘shilanyas’ on this day.

    The construction of the temple, central to the faith of crores of people, is now in full swing, he noted.

    The issues of ED action and price rise are only excuses, Shah claimed, adding that the Congress has chosen to express its opposition to the foundation-laying ceremony and the ongoing construction of the temple by protesting in black clothes.

    The Congress hit back saying only a “sick mind” can produce such bogus arguments and give a malicious twist to the protests.

    “Home Minister has made a desperate attempt to divert, distract, polarise and give a malicious twist to today’s democratic protests of @INCIndia against price rise,unemployment & GST. It’s only a sick mind which can produce such bogus arguments. Clearly the protests have hit home!” party general secretary Jairam Ramesh tweeted.

    Shah claimed that as the Congress cannot dare speak openly against the issue, it has given a hidden message of its stand against the temple’s foundation-stone laying as well as construction.

    “I clearly believe that the Congress has chosen August 5 for its strong protests in black clothes to show its opposition over the temple issue,” he said.

    The real anguish of the Congress is the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, and this is why it undertakes some protest on this day every year, Shah said.

    With the Congress and protesting against the Enforcement Directorate action against its top leaders in the National Herald case, he said everyone should respect the legal system and follow and cooperate with judicial process.

    The home minister said the Congress is not willing to drop its “appeasement politics” despite facing so many poll defeats.

    He noted that the Congress had been protesting on the issues like the Enforcement Directorate action against its leaders and price rise since Parliament’s monsoon session last month.

    What was so special today, he asked, adding that there was no ED action on Friday.

    “It was on this day Modi laid the foundation stone for the temple at Ram Janmbhoomi which is the centre of faith of crores of people. The dispute had remained unresolved for over 550 years, and the Congress which was in power for most of time since independence did nothing to resolve it. Modi worked to find a solution peacefully and laid the temple’s foundations stone. It is that sacred day today,” Shah said.

    The politics of appeasement has harmed the country a lot since independence and all parties should leave it, he said.

    Wearing black clothes, Congress leaders hit the streets to protest against price rise and unemployment with a host of them, including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, being detained by police for nearly six hours.

  • Maharashtra Congress leaders detained before protest; ‘thousands’ of party workers taken into custody

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Police on Friday detained several Maharashtra Congress leaders outside the Vidhan Bhavan here before their planned protest against the Centre over price rise and other issues, with the party claiming that thousands of its workers were taken into preventive custody across the city.

    Following the action, the party leaders slammed the central and the state governments for trying to “suppress” the opposition’s voice.

    The Congress on Friday held a nationwide stir against price rise, the Goods and Services Tax (GST) hike on essential items and unemployment.

    State Congress president Nana Patole and former ministers Balasaheb Thorat, Varsha Gaikwad, Naseem Khan, Chandrakant Handore were among some of the senior leaders who were detained outside the Vidhan Bhavan, the state legislature complex in south Mumbai, before they could proceed to the Raj Bhavan for the protest.

    These leaders said they had planned to carry out a protest march to the Raj Bhavan, the official residence of the governor in south Mumbai, to protest against the Centre’s policies.

    As per the plan announced on Thursday, the march was to begin from Hanging Garden and culminate at the Raj Bhavan around 11 am.

    A heavy deployment of police was put in place outside the Vidhan Bhavan, where the Congress leaders held a meeting.

    READ HERE | ‘Democracy is dead in India’: Congress leaders choose black outfits to protest against price rise

    As they came out of the building, the police personnel prevented them from proceeding towards the Raj Bhavan, located a few kilometres away.

    Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat told the police that it was their right to stage an agitation over the issues concerning people, including rising inflation.

    “Even in the British rule, peaceful protests were allowed. But under the ‘ED’ government, even this is not possible,” Thorat told them in an apparent reference to Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government in the state.

    Former chief minister Ashok Chavan said the Congress planned to hold a peaceful protest.

    A police official told the Congress leaders that they can hold a protest at Azad Maidan.

    But the party leaders refused to budge, following which the police detained them and taken to the Azad Maidan police station before being released later.

    Police said that notices had been sent to several Congress leaders in Mumbai, reminding them that prohibitory orders were in place, which prevents gathering of five or more people at one place.

    Talking to reporters in the afternoon, senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan alleged that the Narendra Modi government has lost control over the economy and wondered why the Shinde-Fadnavis government was scared of the Congress taking to streets to protest against issues concerning common people.

    “Why are the governments led by Modi and Shinde-Fadnavis scared if we hold peaceful protests to highlight the issues concerning the common man. Our leaders and workers were detained before we could start the protest. In Mumbai alone, as many as 10,000 party workers were held ahead of the protests,” he claimed.

    Modi government has failed to handle the economy, due to which the cost of living has gone up, he alleged.

    “How can Modi and Fadnavis suppress our right?” Chavan asked.

    The former chief minister charged that the Agnipath defence recruitment scheme compromises with the national security.

    “China poses a serious challenge in Ladakh and the government is silent,” he said.

    Nana Patole said that attempts to suppress their voice would not succeed.

    “The Congress launched a nationwide protest against rising fuel prices, inflation, unemployment, rise in GST and Agnipath scheme. We just wanted to meet the governor and protest before him on these issues,” he said.

    Meanwhile, in Nagpur, Congress staged a protest outside the district collectorate.

    Several Congress workers and leaders raised slogans against the Centre.

    They were detained by the police.

    MUMBAI: Police on Friday detained several Maharashtra Congress leaders outside the Vidhan Bhavan here before their planned protest against the Centre over price rise and other issues, with the party claiming that thousands of its workers were taken into preventive custody across the city.

    Following the action, the party leaders slammed the central and the state governments for trying to “suppress” the opposition’s voice.

    The Congress on Friday held a nationwide stir against price rise, the Goods and Services Tax (GST) hike on essential items and unemployment.

    State Congress president Nana Patole and former ministers Balasaheb Thorat, Varsha Gaikwad, Naseem Khan, Chandrakant Handore were among some of the senior leaders who were detained outside the Vidhan Bhavan, the state legislature complex in south Mumbai, before they could proceed to the Raj Bhavan for the protest.

    These leaders said they had planned to carry out a protest march to the Raj Bhavan, the official residence of the governor in south Mumbai, to protest against the Centre’s policies.

    As per the plan announced on Thursday, the march was to begin from Hanging Garden and culminate at the Raj Bhavan around 11 am.

    A heavy deployment of police was put in place outside the Vidhan Bhavan, where the Congress leaders held a meeting.

    READ HERE | ‘Democracy is dead in India’: Congress leaders choose black outfits to protest against price rise

    As they came out of the building, the police personnel prevented them from proceeding towards the Raj Bhavan, located a few kilometres away.

    Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat told the police that it was their right to stage an agitation over the issues concerning people, including rising inflation.

    “Even in the British rule, peaceful protests were allowed. But under the ‘ED’ government, even this is not possible,” Thorat told them in an apparent reference to Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government in the state.

    Former chief minister Ashok Chavan said the Congress planned to hold a peaceful protest.

    A police official told the Congress leaders that they can hold a protest at Azad Maidan.

    But the party leaders refused to budge, following which the police detained them and taken to the Azad Maidan police station before being released later.

    Police said that notices had been sent to several Congress leaders in Mumbai, reminding them that prohibitory orders were in place, which prevents gathering of five or more people at one place.

    Talking to reporters in the afternoon, senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan alleged that the Narendra Modi government has lost control over the economy and wondered why the Shinde-Fadnavis government was scared of the Congress taking to streets to protest against issues concerning common people.

    “Why are the governments led by Modi and Shinde-Fadnavis scared if we hold peaceful protests to highlight the issues concerning the common man. Our leaders and workers were detained before we could start the protest. In Mumbai alone, as many as 10,000 party workers were held ahead of the protests,” he claimed.

    Modi government has failed to handle the economy, due to which the cost of living has gone up, he alleged.

    “How can Modi and Fadnavis suppress our right?” Chavan asked.

    The former chief minister charged that the Agnipath defence recruitment scheme compromises with the national security.

    “China poses a serious challenge in Ladakh and the government is silent,” he said.

    Nana Patole said that attempts to suppress their voice would not succeed.

    “The Congress launched a nationwide protest against rising fuel prices, inflation, unemployment, rise in GST and Agnipath scheme. We just wanted to meet the governor and protest before him on these issues,” he said.

    Meanwhile, in Nagpur, Congress staged a protest outside the district collectorate.

    Several Congress workers and leaders raised slogans against the Centre.

    They were detained by the police.

  • FIR against UP Congress chief Lallu, others in connection with Lucknow silent protest 

    By PTI
    LUCKNOW: A case has been registered against three persons, including UP Congress chief Ajay Kumar Lallu, who sat on a silent protest in front of a Mahatma Gandhi statue here along with party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, police said on Saturday.

    The case has been registered for damaging public property, sitting on protest without permission and without giving prior information, Lucknow Police Commissioner D K Thakur said.

    Gandhi, on a two-day visit to Lucknow, had protested along with other party members in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue at GPO Park on Friday.

    Police said the Congress workers damaged an iron net structure located in the GPO Park, and violated the Epidemic Act, during the protest.

    “The FIR has been registered against UP Congress chief Ajay Kumar Lallu, Congress leaders Ved Prakash Tripathi and Diljit Singh, and 500-600 unidentified party workers. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is not named in the FIR,” Thakur told PTI.

    UP Congress spokesperson Ashok Singh said Gandhi sat on the silent protest to highlight the atrocities on women, anarchy of the administration and police.

    “Women are not safe in the state. Priyankaji sat on a ‘maun vrat’ (silent protest) at the feet of Mahatma Gandhi for ending this jungle raj and to uproot this dictatorial government,” Lallu said on Saturday.

  • Congress leaders stage ‘cycle morcha’ in Nagpur over price hike of essential commodities

    By PTI
    NAGPUR: Congress leaders and workers on Thursday took out a cycle morcha in Maharashtra’s Nagpur city to protest against the hike in prices of fuel and essential commodities. Congress workers led by the party’s state unit chief Nana Patole and Maharashtra minister Sunil Kedar staged demonstrations at Sanvidhan square in Nagpur.

    Addressing the media during the agitation, Patole said this was a state-wide protest against the injustice meted out by the Central government by rising the prices of fuel and essential commodities. The Congress will raise this issue at various placed across Maharashtra till July 17, he said. As of July 7, fuel prices have crossed the Rs 100-a-litre mark in at least 16 states, including Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, West Bengal, among others.

  • Over 100 Congress leaders, workers detained in Gujarat for protests on fuel prices

    By PTI
    AHMEDABAD: More than 100 Congress workers, MLAs and leaders were detained in different parts of Gujarat on Friday for staging without police permission protests against the central government over the rise in fuel prices, an official said.

    Leaders and workers of the Gujarat Congress staged demonstrations in Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Rajkot, Bharuch, Palanpur and Vadodara as part of a nationwide call given by the party high command to protest against the high petrol and diesel prices.

    While the party’s state president Amit Chavda led the agitation in Gandhinagar, former state unit chief Bharatsinh Solanki took part in the party’s protest in Vadodara, where workers pulled a car using ropes.

    In Ahmedabad, senior MLA and deputy Leader of Opposition Shailesh Parmar led the agitation.

    According to the police, more than 100 Congress workers in different cities have been detained for staging protests without permission.

    Chavda and 40 other agitators were detained from their protest venue near Satyagrah Chhavni ground in Gandhinagar, deputy superintendent of police, Gandhinagar, M K Rana said.

    “We have detained around 40 Congress workers, including Amit Chavda and Gandhinagar legislator C J Chavda, for organising the programme without police permission and that too amid the coronavirus pandemic,” Rana said, adding that a decision to release the workers will be taken soon by senior officials.

    In Vadodara, the police detained Solanki and 20 other Congress workers for a brief period, and similar detentions took place in other parts of the state, an official said, adding that 20 workers were detained in Rajkot city.

    Talking to reporters before his detention, MLA Parmar said that petrol and diesel prices had been increasing constantly after the BJP came to power at the Centre in 2014.

    “On the one hand, the fuel prices are increasing, on the other hand, people are losing jobs and there is high inflation.

    The BJP government isn’t doing anything to give respite to people.

    We want the government to either reduce the excise duty on fuel or bring it under the GST, so that the prices come down,” Parmar said.

  • Ahead of Budget session, 16 Opposition parties decide to boycott President’s address to Parliament

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: A day before the start of the Budget Session of Parliament, 16 Opposition parties led by the Congress, NCP, Shiv Sena and the TMC on Thursday decided to boycott the President’s address to the joint sitting of both the Houses in solidarity with the farmers protesting the new farm laws.

    Announcing the decision, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said the 16 Opposition parties also demanded an independent probe into the Centre’s role in the violence that shook the national capital during the farmers’ tractor parade on Republic Day.

    The Opposition parties also demanded the repeal of the three farm laws and criticised the central government for remaining unresponsive to the demands of lakhs of farmers protesting against the agri laws.

    The parties that will boycott the president’s address on Friday are the Congress, Nationalist Congress Party, National Conference, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Trinamool Congress, Shiv Sena, Samajwadi Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Communist Party of India (Marxist), CPI, Indian Union Muslim League, RSP, Peoples Democratic Party, MDMK, Kerala Congress (M) and the All India United Democratic Front.

    “The prime minister and the BJP government remain arrogant, adamant and undemocratic in their response.

    Shocked by this insensitivity of the government, the Opposition political parties, reaffirming the collective demand for the repeal of the anti-farmer laws and in solidarity with the Indian farmers, have decided to boycott the president’s address to both the houses of Parliament on Friday, January 29, 2021,” said a joint statement issued by various parties.

    Releasing the joint statement, senior Congress leader Azad, along, with deputy leader Anand Sharma and Congress’ chief whip in Lok Sabha K Suresh, said farmers have been collectively fighting against the three farm laws “arbitrarily imposed by the BJP government.

    The parties also said the government remains unmoved and has responded with water canons, tear gas and lathi charges on the lakhs of farmers agitating against the laws.

    Every effort has been made to discredit a legitimate mass movement through the government-sponsored disinformation campaign, they said.

    ALSO READ: Farmers’ agitation among core issues in Congress agenda in Parliament, likely to boycott President’s address

    The parties also said that though the protests and the agitation have remained peaceful, but there were some acts of violence on January 26 in the national capital, which was condemned universally and unequivocally.

    “We also express our sadness over the injuries sustained by Delhi Police personnel while handling the difficult situation.

    But, we believe that an impartial investigation will reveal the central government’s nefarious role in orchestrating those events,” the parties said in the joint statement.

    They said the new farm laws threaten the future of Indian agriculture, which sustains over 60 per cent of the country’s population, and the livelihood of crores of farmers, sharecroppers and farm labour.

    “The three farm laws are an assault on the rights of the states and violate the federal spirit of the Constitution.

    If not repealed, these Laws will effectively dismantle the edifice of national food security that rests upon – minimum support price (MSP), government procurement and public distribution system (PDS),” the statement said.

    It also alleged that the farm bills were brought without any consultations with states and farmer unions, and lacked national consensus.

    “Parliamentary scrutiny was bypassed and the laws were pushed through muzzling the Opposition, in brazen violation of Parliamentary rules, practices and conventions.

    The very constitutional validity of these laws remains in question.” Azad alleged that the Opposition has been against the manner in which the three bills were passed in Parliament and the demands of farmers not met.

    “Those responsible for the violence should be punished and taken to task.

    The government would have to take responsibility that had it not shown arrogance and taken the laws back, these incidents would not have taken place,” he said.

    “We strongly believe that the government has miserably failed in handling the farmers agitation,” the senior Congress leader said.

    He alleged that the entire rules and regulations were “thrown in the dustbin” when the farm bills were passed in the last session, as a result of which the farmers took to the streets.

    The Congress on Wednesday had held Union Home Minister Amit Shah responsible for the violence that shook the national capital on Republic Day and said he should be sacked immediately.

    The Congress had also accused the Modi government of being a part of a concerted conspiracy to malign the farmers’ agitation by allowing some miscreants to enter the Red Fort complex and hoist a religious flag, in their bid to ensure that the farmers bury their demand for the repeal of the three new agri laws.

    President Ram Nath Kovind would address the joint sitting of the two Houses of Parliament on January 29 heralding the start of the Budget Session of Parliament.