Congress slams BJP govt for denying opposition permission to protest at Rajghat

Congress leaders from different parts of the country staged protests on July 21 against Sonia Gandhi’s ED questioning

In the backdrop of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) interrogating interim Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, the party on Tuesday took a swipe at the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for not allowing to stage a protest at Rajghat against the “unprecedented use of central agencies to trouble opposition leaders”.

Congress leader Ajay Maken. (ANI Photo)

The BJP on June 5, 2015, arranged a protest in the form of a “dance party” in support of Baba Ramdev at Rajghat, but the same organisation today rejected Congress the permission to stage protest at the same location, AICC general secretary Ajay Maken said at a press conference in New Delhi.

“If major opposition parties and members of Parliament cannot stage a one-day protest at Mahatma Gandhi’s memorial, how can democracy be kept alive? We want to make the BJP understand that democracy has two wheels – the ruling and the opposition... If any wheel slips out, the vehicle of democracy will stop immediately,” Maken said.

The Congress earlier announced that its members will stage ‘peaceful protests’ across the nation in front of statues of Mahatma Gandhi against the alleged misuse of central agencies.

“We were assured that permission will be given for staging a peaceful protest at Rajghat. But later the police denied permission and suggested to go to interior areas of Rajghat where media will not be allowed. Denied permission to pitch tents, connect mics and bring in people in buses,” Congress MP Shaktisinh Gohil said.

Maken also referred to the ED’s probe in the alleged money laundering case associated with the National Herald publication, for which Sonia Gandhi has appeared for questioning for the second time.

“The Centre is trying to pressurise the opposition so that we do not raise issues related to farmers, inflation, unemployment and national security,” he claimed.

Congress leaders from different parts of the country staged protests on July 21 against Sonia Gandhi’s ED questioning. Seventy-five Congress MPs, including Rajya Sabha leader of opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, were detained by the Delhi Police.