Demanding stern action against rape accused BJP legsilator Kuldeep Singh Sengar and his expulsion from the BJP, the UP Congress held a massive demonstration in Lucknow on Tuesday. Later, hundreds of party workers, including women, were taken into custody near the the BJP office.
On Tuesday morning, Congress workers led by leader of the Legislature Party Ajay Kumar Lallu staged a dharna at GPO Park in Hazratganj, demanding expulsion of rape accused Sengar from the BJP.
Senior Congress leaders like Legislature party leader Ajay Kumar Lalu, All India Mahila Congress chief, Sushmita Deb, legislators Aradhana Mishra, Aditi Singh and Deepak Singh and former MP, Savitri Bai Phule raised slogans against the BJP and its rape accused MLA.
“The government has become criminal-friendly. It should act impartially but it appears to be standing alon the one who is committing one crime after the other. The government’s role is not impartial. We are demanding justice for the rape victim and her kin and they accuse us of doing politics,” senior party leader and MLC Deepak Singh said.
Later in the afternoon, the agitating workers tried to march towards the state BJP head-quarters opposite Vidhan Bhawan, when they were stopped by the police. This resulted in an exchange of words between the party workers and the police. Later, the police used force to restrict them and detained hundreds of Congress workers.
Among the arrested were former Congress MLA, Akhilesh Pratap Singh, Vinod Kumar Mishra, Virendra Madan, Amarnath Agarwal, RP Singh, Mukesh Singh Chauhan, Siddharth Priya Srivastava.
All India Mahila Congress chief Sushmita Deb criticised the state government for patronising Sengar and said that she would meet the rape victim’s kin and take the fight further to ensure justice to her family.
The agitators were later put up at a temporary jail in Eco Garden. Congress leader Ajay Kumar Lallu said that they would remain there till the government ensured justice to the rape survivor and her family.
Meanwhile on Tuesday, AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra took to the social media and posted a picture of Unnao rape accused MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and sought to know why the BJP didn’t expel the MLA despite him being booked in a sexual assault case.
“What is the BJP waiting for ? Why has this man not been expelled from their party even when his name is in the latest FIR in Unnao rape case ?” she tweeted.
Meanwhile in a tweet, BSP chief Mayawati said, “The meeting of BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj with rape-accused BJP MLA in jail proved that the accused was continuously getting patronage of the ruling BJP. The Supreme Court needs to take cognisance of it.”
