Rahul’s arrest stirs Cong cadres in state

State Congress chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi,who was arrested in Lucknow on Thursday,said the party workers across the state today expressed their anger against the shabby treatment to Rahul Gandhi and his arrest on Wednesday night. “We are not afraid and all of us are ready to go to jail,” she said.

Joshi further said from Friday the party will hold an organised campaign against the state government till the demands raised by Rahul Gandhi are met.

At places including Amethi,Varanasi,Rae Bareli and Sultanpur,several Congress workers sat on dharna since Wednesday night. They blocked the roads including highways on Thursday morning.

In Lucknow,Congress workers led by Rita Joshi and Congress MP Jagdambika Pal,blocked the main Vidhan Sabha road around 11am. Youth Congress workers also burnt the effigy of Mayawati outside the Bapu Bhawan. Several Congress workers were injured during the police lathicharge. Congress leaders claimed the police misbehaved with Joshi and also cane-charged her. Joshi and other Congress workers who were arrested then were released in the evening.

Congress leaders also claimed the police cane-charged their workers in Firozabad,Agra,Varnanasi and Gorakhpur as well.

In Allahabad,party workers led by Congress Legislature party leader Pramod Tiwari blocked the road near High Court around 11.30 am. They were detained by the police and released in the afternoon. The protests in Behraich were led by Congress MP Kamal Kishore ‘Commando’,in Kanpur by Raja Ram Pal,in Pratapgarh by Congress MP Ratna Singh and in Varanasi by MLA Ajay Rai.

“Police misbehaved with our leaders even today. They stopped a mini-truck passing by and sent Rita Joshi to police lines in that vehicle along with party workers,” said Subodh Srivastava,UPCC spokesperson.

In Rae Bareli,where Congress president Sonia Gandhi is on a two-day tour,party MLAs Ganesh Lodhi,Ashok Singh,Ajay Pal,Raja Ram Tyagi along with MLC Dinesh Pratap Singh sat on dharna on Allahabad-Rae Bareli road and later courted arrest. In western UP,Youth Congress workers,who were trying to march towards Greater Noida for the agitation,were arrested on Delhi-Noida highway.

Rita Bahuguna Joshi told The Indian Express that as soon as Section 144 is lifted from Gautam Budh Nagar,the Congress workers led by Rahul Gandhi would again march towards Bhatta Parsaul and stage a peaceful dharna there in support of farmers.