Image: PTI
Bolstered by support from most opposition parties, Congress on Tuesday staged nationwide demonstrations to mount a frontal attack on the Narendra Modi government over the suspension of its 25 MPs, terming it as “murder of democracy” and demanding that Prime Minister hear the “voice of the country”.
Leading the assault from the front, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her deputy Rahul Gandhi, sat on a dharna in the Parliament House complex, shouted slogans and declared
that the campaign for resignation of BJP leaders will continue even if all its members are “thrown out of Parliament”.
“Suspension of our MPs is anti-democratic. Democracy is being murdered,” said Sonia, as she, in a rare occurrence, raised slogans along with top party leaders including Ghulam Nabi Azad, A K Antony and Anand Sharma against the Speaker’s decision. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was also present.
“We will not budge from our stand and there will be no let up in our pressure (on government) as far as issues of corruption, Sushma Swaraj and Vyapam are concerned,” Rahul told reporters, making clear the party’s intent to carry on with its belligerent posture on the issue of resignations of top BJP leaders accused of wrongdoing.
“Vyapam scam has destroyed future of 1000s in MP. There is clear evidence that Sushmaji has broken the law. Clear evidence that Rajasthan CM (Vasundhara Raje) directly involved
financially with Lalit Modi,” he said.
On Monday, Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan suspended 25 Congress parliamentarians for five days for “wilfully obstructing the business of the house” and not adhering to her repeated warnings to observe the rules of the house.
Uttar Pradesh
The Uttar Pradesh unit of the Congress staged a demonstration in Lucknow on Tuesday to protest the suspension of 25 of its lawmakers from the Lok Sabha.
ALSO READ: LS Speaker Likely To Revoke Suspension Of 25 Congress MPs Tomorrow, Say Reports
Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) president Nirmal Khatri said the decision was taken by Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan at the behest of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and termed it a “black day” in India’s democratic history.
Demanding immediate withdrawal of the decision, the state unit said Modi was behaving like a dictator and should instead learn to respect the democratic values of India.
Delhi
Amid shouting of slogans, the protesting Congress workers marched from the Gandhi statue near the General Post Office to the BJP office on the Vidhan Sabha Marg in New Delhi.
ALSO READ: 25 Congress MPs Suspended For Five Days By Lok Sabha Speaker
The Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee’s (DPCC) women wing on Tuesday burnt Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s effigy outside the BJP headquarters to protest the Congress MPs’ suspension from parliament.
Raising anti-Modi and anti-BJP slogans, the Congress supporters carried banners reading: ‘Black day for democracy’ and burnt the prime minister’s effigy during the demonstration outside 11, Ashoka Road, the BJP’s headquarters.
“Suspension of 25 Congress MPs was anti-democratic and we call it a ‘Black Day’ for democracy”, said a Congress worker during the protest.
Himachal Pradesh
In Himachal Pradesh, State Congress Committee on Tuesday staged state-wide protests against the suspension of 25 party MPs.
The protest here was led by state president Sukhvinder Sukhu during which a peaceful sit-in was staged in front of the statue of Mahatma Gandhi on the Ridge.
ALSO READ: Vyapam Scam: MP Bandh Today, Congress Demands Chouhan’s Resignation
Sukhu termed the suspension of the MPs as a “black day” for democracy and said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was trying to silence the voice of the opposition on the issue of corruption.
He said it was the responsibility of the ruling party to ensure smooth functioning of parliament by way of dialogue but the BJP was resorting to undemocratic means by suspending Congress MPs.
Rajasthan
Meanwhile, hundreds of Congress party workers Tuesday held a protest against the Central government and burnt effigies in Jaipur, Rajasthan over suspension of its 25 members from the Lok Sabha.
Party activists led by Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) President Sachin Pilot and former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot showed placards, raised slogans against the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the NDA government and burnt effigies during the protest.
It was a “black day” in the history of Lok Sabha when Congress MPs were suspended en masse, Gehlot said.
Earlier, addressing the party workers, Pilot alleged that the NDA government has “crushed” the voice of Congress MPs by suspending them from the House.
Pilot also accused the BJP of giving shelter to “tainted” ministers Sushma Swaraj and Vasundhara Raje by infringing constitutional rights besides not allowing Opposition to play
its role in both the Houses, Pilot said adding such suspensions are unacceptable in democracy.
Gehlot said the NDA government has gotten frustrated and Prime Minister was not speaking on the so-called “Lalitgate”.
The demonstration remained peaceful, police said.
Uttarakhand
Meanwhile, the ruling Congress in Uttarakhand Tuesday strongly condemned the suspension of 25 party MPs from Parliament and demanded immediate withdrawal of the order
terming it as anti-democratic.
“It exposes the autocratic face of BJP which cannot tolerate dissent. We condemn the move in the harshest words and demand that the suspension of our MPs must immediately be
revoked,” Pradesh Congress Committee President Kishore Upadhyay said in a memorandum addressed to President Pranab Mukherjee.
Upadhyay who led a 30-member delegation to Governor K K Paul to submit the memorandum said the country’s oldest party which believes in the great traditions of democracy will not tolerate the autocratic ways of Narendra Modi government.
“The BJP has never believed in democracy. The undemocratic step shows that the party wants to run the Parliament in a fascist and autocratic manner which the Congress will never tolerate,” Upadhyay said.
West Bengal
The Congress activists in West Bengal Tuesday staged protest-rallies and burnt effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi over suspension of its 25 members from the Lok Sabha Monday.
The protest-rallies were held outside the state BJP office, Hazra crossing and outside the Governor’s House in Kolkata.
Effigies of Modi were burnt in the two places. Similar protest-rallies were organised in other parts of the state too.
Jammu and Kashmir
Several members of state Congress Tuesday held a protest in Jammu against the five-day suspension of 25 party MPs from Lok Sabha and termed the decision as “undemocratic”.
Congress workers, led by senior vice-president of the state unit Sham Lal Sharma and other leaders, took out a protest march from outside the party office. However, they were halted by the police as Section 144 has been imposed in Jammu.
“The decision to suspend congress MP by the Lok Sabha speaker is undemocratic and we strongly condemn the action. The ruling BJP is trying to muzzle the voice of the opposition”, chief spokesman and MLC Ravinder Sharma said.
He said a large number of Congress workers from different parts of Jammu region gathered at party office and held a protest against the Speaker’s decision to suspend the party MPs.
“The demand for the resignation of Vasundhara Raje and Sushma Swaraj for their support to Lalit Modi is not only the demand of Congress but the entire country wants their resignations, and taking action against the Congress MPs has no justification”, Sharma said.
Meanwhile, scores of Congress activists, including party’s state president Ghulam Ahmad Mir, were Tuesday detained by police in Srinagar after they took out a protest rally against suspension of its 25 members from Lok Sabha.
Mir, along with dozens of Congress activists, took out the protest rally from the party’s headquarters at M A Road here and tried to march towards Raj Bhavan.
As they reached Banquet Hall, police swung into action and detained many party workers including Mir, former minister Taj Mohiuddin, Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed and MLA Sopore Abdul Rahid Dar, officials said.
They said the detained leaders were taken to Kothi Bagh police station.
Earlier, Mir accused the BJP of trying to “muzzle the voice of the people”.
“The Congress MPs in Lok Sabha were seeking answers to the questions raised by the people of the country. But what they (BJP) did was undemocratic. They tried to muzzle the voice of the people. It was a black day for democracy,” Mir told reporters.
“The BJP seems to think that they have a majority in the Parliament and can do whatever they like. That they will not allow anyone to talk…this is undemocratic,” he said.
“The Congress party will continue to be the voice of the people and will expose the government,” he said.
(With Inputs From Agencies)