NEW DELHI: High-octane drama unfolded in New Delhi after Congress leaders hit the streets over the issue of inflation, unemployment and GST on essential commodities. Several senior party leaders, including Gandhi scion Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, were detained.
Congress has given a clarion call to party units to hold protests across the country on Friday. In Delhi, senior leaders, including Congress Working Committee (CWC) members, planned a demonstration outside the Prime Minister’s residence. Meanwhile, the party MPs first staged a protest in Parliament and then marched towards Rashtrapati Bhawan.
Besides Rahul Gandhi, several Congress MPs, including Jairam Ramesh, Gaurav Gogoi, Ranjeet Ranjan, Mallikarjun Kharge and KC Venugopal, were detained from Vijay Chowk.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who tried to march towards Prime Minister’s residence, was detained from Akbar Road.
Priyanka had jumped a barricade and crossed the residence of her mother Sonia Gandhi. When stopped by police to march further, she sat on a dharna along with Indian Youth Congress chief Srinivas BV and party spokesperson Supriya Shrinate.
She was detained after 20 minutes.
Earlier in the day, Ramesh took to Twitter and wrote, “Again today, Congress MPs denied democratic right to protest against price rise, unemployment and GST. Bundled into police vans at Vijay Chowk. It’s clear, only those who are afraid try to instill fear! (sic)”
Even Priyanka told the policemen, who persuaded her to end her protest, that she was not sitting on dharna to compromise with the government but to raise the issue of inflation which is being faced by the people of the country.