Dozens of agitated cadres of the Opposition Congress led by State unit chief Bhupesh Baghel stormed into a key police station complex on Saturday here to lodge complaints against the State BJP Government over its alleged move to take back ration cards from poor people.
However, the State Government claimed that it took the initiative after proper verification from the people only who were holding it illegally and thus playing up with the interests of the deserving poor people.
The Congress cadres and the police jawans exchanged minor blows at the police station complex as the cops tried to push back the Congress protesters who crowded the Civil line Thana which is located within walking distance from Governor House as well as not far away from the Chief Minister Residence.
The Congress workers deserted the police station only after raising slogans against the BJP Government for more than an hour over ration card issue. The Congress submitted as many as 3,886 complaints at the police station, claiming that genuine and poor people were targeted by the BJP regime during the ration card verification drive which the Government had suspended recently.
The Congress claimed that although the party launched aggressive and offensive protest peacefully, State Congress chief Bhupesh Baghel and other senior party leaders sustained injuries after police used force and obstructed the demonstrator.
Congress spokesperson Shailesh Nitin Trivedi said, “Police also prevented women party workers and leaders who had gone to file the first information report (FIR).
The Congress workers were seen raising slogans mainly against Chief Minister Raman Singh and his two Cabinet colleagues - Rajesh Munat and Brijmohan Agrawal.
Trivedi stated that the BJP Government launched ration card verification campaign and cancelled large number of cards in a calculated strategy by declaring people ineligible.
“The protest with which the State had witnessed on Saturday was the outburst of the anger against the Government,” the Congress statement claimed. The Congressmen went in a march from the party office to the civil line police station along with top state level leaders.
Instead of receiving the complaints, police prevented the delegations from entering into the police station. As a result, the state Congress chief and other leaders had to launch a sit-in protest. It was after that police started receiving the complaints.