New Delhi: Congress leaders will hold demonstrations across the country and lay siege at Raj Bhavans of various states on Thursday as the party alleged that Delhi Police personnel forcibly entered its headquarters in the national capital and beat up workers and leaders on Wednesday, while the party staged vociferous protests against the questioning of Rahul Gandhi by the Enforcement Directorate for the third consecutive day.
Congress national spokesperson called the incident "an act of absolute goondaism" and said that the party will gherao all Raj Bhavans across India. Protests will also be held at all district levels on Thursday.
He said, " In an act of absolute goondaism perpetuated by Delhi police on the directions of the government, they forcibly entered Congress office and beat up workers. This is criminal trespass. Their goondaism has reached its zenith. This won't be tolerated and will be accounted for. We demand an FIR be lodged, they be suspended and disciplinary inquiry be initiated." ANI quoted Randeep Surjewala as saying.
Several senior leaders of the party, including Sachin Pilot and B V Srinivas, were detained during the day. Congress leaders shared purported video clips on social media showing police personnel entering its office premises on Akbar Road and beating up party functionaries.
Congress' plan for today
According to ABP News sources, the Congress party will lay siege at Raj Bhavans of 7 states.
- Under the leadership of Rajasthan Congress President Govind Singh Dotasara, party workers will gherao Raj Bhavan in Jaipur at 10 am
- Congress workers including Jammu and Kashmir Congress President Ghulam Ahmed Mir will gherao the Raj Bhavan in Jammu today at 10.30 am.
- Party workers under the leadership of Delhi Congress President Anil Chaudhary will gherao the Raj Niwas at 11.30 am.
- Raj Bhavan will be gheraoed in Bhopal at 11 am under the leadership of Madhya Pradesh Congress President Kamal Nath.
- UP Congress workers will gherao Raj Bhavan at 11 am
- Gujarat Congress leaders and MLAs will gherao Raj Bhavan in Gandhinagar today at 2 pm
- Bengal Congress workers will gherao Raj Bhavan in Kolkata today at 2 pm
Delhi Police denied allegations made by Congress
The Delhi Police, however, rejected the allegations as "totally false".
"We had tried to stop them and tried to close the gate of AICC (All India Congress Committee) office in order to prevent a procession from being taken out... In this process, their might be some scrimmage, but police had not tried to enter the premises of the AICC and they had no reason to enter," a senior police officer said.
The police made elaborate arrangements around the AICC headquarters and cordoned off the area in view of prohibitory orders against the assembly of people. A heavy deployment of security forces was also in place around the ED office in central Delhi.
As Rahul Gandhi appeared before the federal agency for questioning in a money laundering case, Congress workers and leaders continued their protest against what it called the use of the probe agency by the ruling dispensation for political vendetta.
Congress MPs Manickam Tagore, Thirunavakkarasuar, A Chella Kumar, Amar Singh and Jayakumar Vijay Vasanth protested in the Parliament Complex and raised slogans against the government.
Several leaders, including MPs Jothimani and D K Suresh, former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot, Youth Congress chief B V Srinivas and Delhi Congress chief Anil Chaudhary, were detained by the police from outside the AICC office.