In protest of against what they termed as derogatory comments on former Prime Minister (PM) Rajiv Gandhi made by PM Narendra Modi, the state unit of Congress party organised a vehement protest here on Monday. Agitated party workers also burnt the effigy of PM Modi on the occasion.
On the day, large number of Congress party workers congregated at the state party office to express their protest against the unsavoury utterances of PM Modi against late Rajiv Gandhi. The morale of the Congressmen got further boosted when former chief minister Harish Rawat arrived in the party office after performing a silent fast at Gandhi Park.
A posse of policemen deployed outside the party office prevented the Congress workers when they tried to march to Astley hall.
The police personnel argued that since the administration has not granted permission to the party to take out a march, they should not proceed further. On being prevented by the police, the Congressmen entered into heated exchanges with the police personnel.
In the resulting melee, the Congressmen consigned an effigy of PM Modi to the flames.
“We had applied for the permission to take out a protest march on Saturday but administration failed to respond on our application. The administration is granting permission to the BJP to hold programmes but has adopted a partisan attitude towards us,’’ said an agitated, R P Raturi, the spokesperson of the state Congress.
The Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) President Pritam Singh said that PM Modi has stooped down to lowest level of public discourse by targeting former PM Rajiv Gandhi. The Congress workers would not tolerate the insult of its leaders and those who have laid down their lives for the country.
Former CM Harish Rawat, former PCC President Kishore Upadhyaya, Vice President of state Congress Surya Kant Dhasmana, Rajya Sabha MP, Pradip Tamta, Kedarnath MLA Manoj Rawat, former MLA Vikram Singh Negi, Rajkumar, senior leaders Rajendra Shah, Chaman Singh, Lal Chand Sharma, Prabhu Lal Bahuguna, Garima Dasauni and others were present on the occasion.