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On Priyanka’s call, Congmen protest on social media against Lallu’s arrest
The Congress claimed that 50,000 partymen protested against Lallu’s arrest and also raised their voice for the cause of migrant labourers through Facebook live.
The Congress on Thursday lodged a strong protest, on social media, against the arrest of its Uttar Pradesh chief Ajay Kumar Lallu following a call by party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
The development came a day after the party sent back buses it had offered to the Uttar Pradesh government to bring back migrant labourers and subsequent eruption of a row over it.
The Congress claimed that 50,000 partymen protested against Lallu’s arrest and also raised their voice for the cause of migrant labourers through Facebook live.
Earlier, Priyanka told partymen through a message: “You have seen Yogi government’s way of fighting Covid-19. It has sent the UPCC president to jail levelling false charges at a time when the Congress had arranged buses to carry migrant labourers. At a time when the whole country is fighting unitedly against Covid-19, the UP government is putting all those in jail who are making arrangements for buses, train tickets, food and food grains for migrant labourers.”
Speaking on the row aver the buses, SK Dwivedi, former head of department political science, Lucknow University, said: “It appears both sides played politics and did not have fair intentions. Cooperation from all sides is the need of hour. BJP government should have used the buses offered by the Congress. The Congress too should have been careful in sending a correct list of buses to the state. Both the sides erred in this case.”
In her message, Priyanka also reminded partymen about her father and former Prime Minister late Rajiv Gandhi’s ‘love for the poor’ and said ‘true homage for him his 30th death anniversary’ would be to protest against the state government’s ‘oppression’.
“Today (May 21) is 30th death anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi, who laid down his life for the country. He used to love his countrymen and was deeply moved by the pain of the poor. We have inherited his thoughts. We have learnt it from Rajivji to help the poor. No one can frighten us. UP’s 50,000 Congress workers will raise the voice of labourers through Facebook Live while remembering Rajivji on May 21 and protest against the state government’s oppression. This will be a true homage to Rajivji,” she said.
Those who protested on Facebook live referred to the sequence of events in the past three days and explained how the party has been lending a helping hand to migrants by distributing food and food grains across the state.
Congress legislature party leader Aradhana Mishra said the call for protest evoked a good response and added that the UPCC president’s arrest was illegal and his re-arrest reflected on the state government’s intensions. “Lucknow police arrested Ajay Kumar Lallu soon after he got bail from Agra court. This reflected on the narrow mindset of UP government,” she said.
