The Uttar Pradesh unit of the Congress party took to the streets of Lucknow on Wednesday, staging a vigorous demonstration against what it termed the blatant misuse of central investigation agencies by the BJP's double-engine governments at the Centre and the state.
Protest Sparked by Court Observations
The political agitation was directly triggered by a significant judicial development a day prior. On Tuesday, a court delivered a setback to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the long-running Young Indian case, which involves Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. The court's observations were seen by the Congress as a validation of their stance that the case was politically motivated.
Led by the state Congress president, Ajay Rai, a large group of party workers commenced a march from the Congress headquarters towards the state BJP office. The demonstration was jointly organized by District Congress president Rudra Daman Singh ‘Bablu' and city Congress chief Amit Srivastava Tyagi.
Police Intervention and Detentions
However, the marching protesters were stopped midway by the police. The authorities detained the participants and subsequently moved them to a temporary jail set up at Eco Garden in Lucknow. This police action drew sharp criticism from Congress leaders, who insisted their gathering was entirely peaceful.
Before his detention, Ajay Rai addressed the media, launching a strong attack on the ruling dispensation. "The National Herald case was politically motivated and aimed solely at maligning our senior Congress leaders," he stated. "The recent judicial observations have fully exposed the Centre's mala fide intent and its systematic misuse of agencies like the ED to target and harass the opposition."
Congress Vows to Continue Fight
Rai asserted that the Congress party has never bowed down to authoritarian tactics and would continue its struggle to protect the Constitution and democratic values. "All attempts to defame Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi have failed miserably. We will continue to foil the BJP's plans to tarnish their image," he declared.
Other prominent Congress functionaries, including former MLC Deepak Singh, echoed these sentiments. They condemned the state government for using force against a peaceful democratic protest and reiterated the party's resolve to continue its agitation both on the streets and inside Parliament. The focus of their protest remains the alleged misuse of constitutional institutions by the BJP-led government to target political opponents.
The protest in the state capital underscores the escalating political tension in Uttar Pradesh, setting the stage for further confrontations between the principal opposition party and the ruling BJP on the issue of investigative fairness and democratic freedom.
