State Congress president Raj Babbar, MlC Naseemuddin Siddiqui, MlC Deepak Singh and other leaders and workers tried to meet Congress legislative Party leader Ajay Kumar lalu in Deoria jail and later staged a sit on to protest his arrest in Kushinagar on Tuesday.
Babbar later accused the state government for promoting illegal mining and alleged that when the ClP leader raised the issue and sat on a dharna to demand justice, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath got him arrested along with three dozen party leaders. lalu was arrested on Saturday and was later lodged in Deoria jail.
Congress spokesman Zeeshan Haider told media persons that Babbar, Singh and other senior leaders went to meet lallu inside Deoria jail on Tuesday and after being denied entry, they went to Kushinagar and joined the agitation which was launched by party workers to protest the arrest.
Jaider said that the state president warned the state government that if the mining lease order was not immediately cancelled and lallu and other workers were not released, Congress would staged a state-wide stir in this regard.
It may be mentioned that lallu is waging a lone battle against government-approved mining on the banks of Gandak river in Sewrahi block of Kushinagar. lallu has been leading a protest for the last 27 days, demanding immediate ban on mining as it could inundate vast swathes of land during monsoons.
Even the state Irrigation department had warned the government of consequences of allowing this practice to go on.
“This has imperiled the lives of lakhs of villagers. It is strange that District Magistrate has allowed mining on the river's right bank near Pipraghat dam, knowing well that every monsoon fast-flowing river became a threat to the people living nearby. Mining activities will change the river course during monsoon and inundate thousands of villages,” lalu told media persons soon after his arrest.
The administration tried to force lallu to call off the agitation but when he refused to bow down, the administration arrested him on Saturday and later registered criminal cases against him.