The disqualification of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi from Lok Sabha saw an aggressive reaction from young cadres in the capitals of Congress-ruled Chhattisgarh and BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh on Friday.
In Raipur, Youth Congress members reached the BJP headquarters, painted a poster of state BJP chief Arun Sao black and also burnt an effigy, all the while shouting slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This led to a reaction from the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) workers, who turned up before the Congress head office in the capital and threw black ink.
Soon, the situation escalated into a clash with both sides resorting to stone pelting and later accusing each other of starting the violence. Both sides claimed that their workers had been injured. BJYM Raipur district president Govinda Gupta was also injured in the process and taken to hospital, sources said.
As a large posse of police reached the spot, BJYM members blocked traffic in the busy Shankar Nagar area (near the Congress office) for some time. Later, police detained the BJYM workers and removed them from the spot in three buses. However, the situation remained tense for quite some time. Police officials said that due action will be initiated after a probe into the incidents.
‘Rail-roko’, torch rally in Bhopal
Meanwhile, in Madhya Pradesh capital Bhopal, Youth Congress workers, led by state president Dr Vikrant Bhuria reached the Rani Kamlapati Railway Station in the evening and stopped the New Delhi bound Dakshin Express for about 15 minutes, raising slogans in support of Rahul Gandhi and against the BJP and PM Modi.
Among those who participated in the ‘rail-roko’ included Manish Choudhary, Akhilesh Yadav, Vishwajit Chouhan, Gopil Kotwal, Narendra Yadav, Abhishek Parmar, Gaurav Chouhan, Anand Gurjar, Vimal Batham and others.
In a statement, Bhuria said that the protest today was the onset of revolution against the dictatorial attitude shown by the BJP government. He said that the agitation has started and it will continue from the streets to the parliament. “The dictatorship of BJP to try to save Adani and suppress the voice of common people will not be tolerated. Every youth of Madhya Pradesh and India is standing strong with Rahul Gandhi,” he said.
Also, the state unit of the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) held a torch rally in front of the Congress office in Bhopal in support of Rahul Gandhi. The rally was led by state NSUI president Ashutosh Chouksey and they raised slogans in support of Rahul Gandhi and against BJP.