Congress leaders once again threatened to take to the streets to protest the Samajwadi Party government for not releasing their legislator Ajai Rai arrested under the National Security Act in Varanasi.
The party charged the state government of taking action against Rai at the behest of Prime Minister, Narendra Modi and had earlier marched from Mall Avenue state headquarters to the Governor’s House before handing over a memorandum demanding immediate release of Rai which faiuled to cut ice with the government.
Even Congress legislative Party (ClP) leader Pradeep Mathur and other MlAs staged a demonstration on the issue on the floor of the Assembly but the government defused the situation assuring to look into the matter.
``A delegation of senior Congress leaders led Congress general secretary and in-charge of UP, Madhusadan Mistri and state chief Nirmal Khatri met Ajai Rai in Fatehgarh Central Jail on Thursday and assured him the party’s full support,” said UPCC vice-president and media cell chief, Satyadeo Tripathi in lucknow on Thursday evening.
Tripathi said that the party would once again demand the release of Rai and if the government does not act then the leaders / workes will take to the streets and force the CM to intervene and review the decision of imposing NSA on an MlA.
The UPCC Media Cell chief said that only Congress leaders were framed in the Varanasi incident even as three BJP MlAs were also present in the procession leading to the violence on October 5, yet they were let off. The Varanasi police later invoked National Security Act (NSA) against the Congress MlA.