On intervention of All India Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, senior Party leader which included legislators, former MPs and ministers, took out silent march till Raj Bhawan to register their protest against state government action on Monday. They also submitted a memorandum to Governor Ram Naik demanding his immediate intervention on invoking of National Security Act(NSA) against Party MlA from Varanasi Ajai Rai. The Party alleged that the action was unwanted and initiated at behest of Union Government.
The march was led by AICC general secretary and in-charge of Uttar Pradesh Madhushan Mistri and other senior leaders covered around one kilometer stretch from Party’s state head-quarter till Raj Bhawan on foot. The maintained Rssilence’ throughout the route and later while the other leaders dispersed, two dozen of them who were sanctioned permission met Naik and handed over him their three page memorandum. Due to same family problem, State president, Nirmal Khatri, reportedly not took part in the march but he joined the delegation at Raj Bhawan.
Talking to media persons soon after his meeting with the governor, Mistri said that they have handed over a three page memorandum demanding immediate release of the Congress MlA arrested under NSA and judicial probe into the entire incident of police atrocities. He further alleged that the arrest of the MlA was on the behest of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as the State government was trying to please the PM. “Why the State government made a selective NSA case against Congress MlA when 3 legislators of the BJP were also present during the violence,” Mistri charged.
Both Ajai Rai and Madhusudan Mistri had contested against PM Modi from Varanasi and Gujarat during the 2014 lok Sabha polls. In its five point charter of demand, the Congress alleged that the NSA should be invoked as it was imposed just due to political reason. They also demanded withdrawal of all cases against Ajai Rai and other party leaders in Varanasi. The party has demanded withdrawal of cases against saints and sadhus of Varanasi, who have been framed during the violence in the temple city early this month when they brought out ‘Ananay Pratikar yatra’ to protest against the lathicharge on them on September 22 last.
Former Union Minister Jitin Prasada, Rajya Sabha member Pl Punia, former MP, Anu Tandon, former state president, Rita Bahuguna Joshi, Satyadeo Tripathi, Deepak Singh, Amarnath Agarwal, Virendra Madan, Maroof Khan, Siddharth Srivastava, Sanjay, JP Singh, RP Singh, Dwijendra Tripathi, Pramod Singh along with several legislators, former MPs and senior leaders were part of the march. Around 60 leaders were also allowed entry into the Raj Bhawan where governor met the Congress leaders on a cup of tea. The leaders claimed that the governor had given an assurance to the delegation that he look into the matter and will also sought a report in this regard from the state government.