Political activist Yogendra Yadav was allegedly manhandled during an event in Akola, Maharashtra, on Monday. He claimed a mob of 40-50 people stormed the stage to prevent him from speaking. Though the police arrived shortly after, the event was cut short.
In a video posted on X, Yadav called the attack on him and his colleagues of Bharat Jodo Abhiyan a "grave concern for democracy lovers." He explained that the group was discussing "Protection of Constitution and our vote" when the mob climbed the stage. “Despite police intervention, the attackers continued their vandalism, and the event had to be called off,” Yadav added in Hindi.
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He expressed his dismay, saying, “In 25 years of speaking across Maharashtra, I’ve never faced such an incident. This is sad for democracy, but it only strengthens our resolve.”
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{{/usCountry}}Supporters of VBA behind disruption?
Supporters of Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi (VBA) reportedly disrupted the event, upset by remarks on Bhimrao Ambedkar and reservation.
In a post shared by VBA, it was claimed that the crowd had asked Yadav and activist Ulka Mahajan tough questions about Congress allegedly taking anti-reservation steps after the elections, despite receiving votes from marginalised communities. They accused Yadav of being unable to answer and leaving the event without addressing their concerns.
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“Congress took the votes of Buddhists, Dalits, Tribals, Muslims, OBCs to defeat BJP, but Congress is doing the work of BJP. Unable to give a proper answer to any of these questions, the people of Maharashtra Democratic Front and Bharat Jodi Abhiyan tried to silence the people asking the questions. However, Yogendra Yadav and Ulka Mahajan withdrew from the program as they did not have an answer to any question,” Prabuddh Bharat, a newspaper linked with VBA, wrote in Marathi.