Hundreds of BJP youth wing activists on Sunday clashed with police when they were stopped from marching towards Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s residence to demand his resignation and proper probe into scams against the UPA Government. led by Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha president Anurag Thakur, the activists, holding placards and shouting slogans, started their march from Aurangzeb Road.
Delhi BJP president Vijay Goel also joined the protest along with his supporters. They were, however, prevented from moving further near Tughlaq Road police station. Prior to this, the BJP youth activists burnt an effigy of the Prime Minister before trying to move towards Race Course Road where prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC were invoked.
When confronted by police, they clashed with cops and broke one barricade to march ahead but were stopped as police used water canon against them. Security personnel had a tough time stopping the BJP activists who were present in good numbers. Police had to use water canons and lob teargas shells to disperse the protesters. Some of them even clashed with the policemen. The protesters, including Thakur and Goel, were detained and taken to Tughlaq Road police station from where they were released later. Anticipating the protest, the Race Course Road Metro station near the Prime Minister’s residence was closed for public for nearly three hours on Sunday morning. “With this demonstration, we demand that the PM ought to speak up and also demand proper investigation into the scams and cases of corruption against Congress and its Ministers, coming out in the news on a daily basis,” Thakur said.
Goel claimed every day people hear of a new scam. “The country wants the Prime Minister to come clean on who former law Minister Ashwani Kumar was trying to save. He needs to resign immediately if he really wants to save whatever credibility he feels is left with him,” the Delhi BJP chief said. “The ‘loot and scoot’ policy of the UPA Government headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has led to an outrage among common people. The Prime Minister is guilty of both acts of omission as well as acts of commission. He headed the Coal Ministry when the scam took place. He tried to protect Ashwini Kumar, the former law Minister whose role in tampering the Coalgate investigation reports is clearly under scanner. He also tried to protect former Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal under whose nose his close relatives were ‘auctioning’ posts in the Railway Ministry for crores of rupees,” he added.
Anticipating protests outside Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s residence, Delhi Metro closed the Race Course station for nearly three hours on police instruction. “Race Course Metro station was reopened for public at 1.51 pm,” a Metro official said. The station at Race Course Road was closed to the public from 11 am after BJP youth wing activists announced a march
and gherao of the high-security area. The BJP Yuva Morcha activists, had announced that they will gherao Singh’s residence.