Congress workers led by state president Raj Babbar, staged a massive demonstration in Western Uttar Pradesh to protest the defacement of a statue of former prime minister Indira Gandhi in Khatauli area of Muzaffarnagar. The agitated leaders raised slogan and demanded that culprits should be arrested at earliest. The Party is likely to meet Governor, Ram Naik, and hand over memorandum demanding arrest and protection to statues of leaders.
Talking to media persons soon after meeting staging a protest in Muzaffarnagar on Saturday, Babbar claimed that it is not that just Indiraji statue was damaged but the anti-social elements were engaged in similar activities all over the state by damaging the statues of other eminent personalities. He claimed that just in last month, statue of former minister and Bharat Ratna, Rajeev Gandhi was damaged in Mirjapur.
Babbar said that what is shocking that the State government had totally failed to take stern legal action against such elements involved not only in hurting the sentiments of the public but many time also resulting into caste and communal clash. “The present situation in UP is very conceding as there is no respect or honour for great personalities. Indiraji and Rajeev Gandhi were not only a Congress leaders but persons whose family sacrificed their lives for the country. We condemn the incident and demand immediate arrest of the culprits,” Babbar said while flaying Yogi for failing to control the deteriorating law and order condition of the State. It may be mentioned that soon after learning of the damage to statue to Indira Gandhi in Muzaffarnagar, Babbar had alerted the Congressmen from Saharanpur, Shamli, Hapur, Ghaziabad, Gautaumbudhnagar, Meerut, etc to come on roads and join protest on Saturday.