Except for clash in Ferojabad district where local Congress chief and his supporters were held after clash with Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) activists, the Party’s road show and protest against the Central as well as State government under the banner of `’kisan bachao, bhrashtachar-mitao, vada-nibhao’ remained peaceful throughout the State on Wednesday.
The leaders through placard, posters and a tableau targeted Modi’s government on issues of series of deaths in Vyapam, rising food prices, change in land ordinance, failure to meet promises made during poll campaign and above all over the silence of the Prime Minister on the said issues. Interestingly, to avoid being blamed for having soft-corner towards the local Samajwadi Party government, Congress also blamed the Akhilesh’s government for deteriorating law and order situation.
``Narendra Modi’s government proposed changes in land ordinance bill as earler passed by the United Progressive Alliance government, is just to appease the corporate world at the cost of farmers who would face starvation after losing their only means of livelihood i.e their land”, charged State president, Nirmal Khatri while leading the Party’s procession here at Kaisbarbagh crossing on Wednesday afternoon.
``Narendra Modi who always shout over the issues of corruption and scams and throughout his election campaign had claimed that he will not indulged in such activities and nor allowed anyone else to adopt it has now maintained a complete silence when his own cabinet colleagues or chief minister in BJP rules states were found involved in such activities”, cited Khatri while alleging that silence of the prime minister clearly pointed his consent to the above corruption and scams.
``Modi has forgotten the poll promises of depositing Rs 15 lakh in each account after bring back black money or ensuring `Achche Din’ for the common man but The Congress will now let him sit coolly and fool the entire nation”, asserted Khatri while adding that the Congress would continue their protest against the Central Government. He also targeted State government on the issue of law and order. ``law and Order in the State is in very bad shape and only the Mafia raj is evident in UP”, alleged Khatri while attacking state government. He also attended Congress demonstration at Pipersind where the Party leaders burnt the effigy of prime minister Narendra Modi.
All India Congress Committee General Secretary, Madhusudan Mistri, who is incharge of the Party affairs here in UP, was also scheduled to join Khatri here in lucknow during the agitation but he preferred to remain in Ghazibad and attended the similar demonstration by Party workers on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, chairman of Uttar Pradesh Congress communications department, Satyadev Tripathi revealed that in Ferojabad, the leaders of BJP clashed with their Party workers when they were demonstrating against the Modi government at Tundla locality. He charged the local police of being biased in taking action as only the district president of the Congress Harish Tewari and his supporters were taken in custody but no action has been taken against BJP leaders. Tripathi said that in Basti also, the local police caned the Congress workers when they were taking out peaceful procession.
Tripathi said that besides burning the effigies of Modi at all the important intersection at Panchayat level, Party took help of cartoons, banners, placards, and a tableau of deaths in Vyapam scam, to highlight the “failures” of the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre and Samajwadi Party government in the State in their procession taken out in every district. He said that the Party tried to highlight the failures of the NDA government including its anti-farmer policies, going back on its promise to bring back black money and others.
He claimed that here in lucknow, the Party took out a procession from Jyotiba Phule Park in Chowk till Ravindralya passing through Saheed Smarak, Kaiserbagh Crossing, Bapu Bhawan, and Burlington Crossings. The prominent leaders amongst those who took part in the procession here in lucknow included, former state president, Dr Reeta Bahuguna Joshi, State Mahila Congress president, Pratima Singh, along with Maroof Khan, Amarnath Agarwal, RP Singh, Virendra Madan, Sanjay Bajpayee, JP Singh, Pramod Singh, Ramesh Srivastava, Surendra Rajput, Hilal etc.
It may be mentioned here that earlier State President, Nirmal Khatri denied that they will also protest against State government failure but the Congress finally decided to go against both the government under the policy of hitting two birds with one stone.