LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Kumar Lallu on Thursday accused the BJP government of "trampling" democracy in the state by misusing the police and termed the arrest of the party's minority cell chairman Shahnawaj Alam as illegal, undemocratic and condemnable.
"Congress workers are being harassed across the state by the Yogi Adityanath government and being implicated in false cases. The BJP government is oppressive and is trampling democracy by misusing police," the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee chief said.
"The late-night arrest of party's minority cell chairman Alam is illegal, undemocratic and condemnable," Lallu said. On Monday night, Alam was arrested from Hazratganj area after an FIR was registered in connection with the violent protest during an anti-CAA agitation on December 19 last year.
The police said that Alam's location was found near the violence spot.
Lallu said: Congress leaders and workers are committed to raise their voice for the people's issues. The BJP government can abuse the police to silence the voice of other parties but not our party. The name of Minority Cell chairman Shahnawaj Alam neither figured in the FIR nor in the chargesheet, but the police lifted him from his house late in the night, he said.
Lallu further informed that the state's BJP government is frustrated as the influence of the Congress in Uttar Pradesh is growing.
"This government is scared but the soldiers of Rahul and Priyanka are not scared. The Yogi government is trying to frighten us but we are not scared. We will fight on the streets," he said.
Lallu further claimed that hundreds of Congress workers have been slapped with false cases.
"A false case was registered against our general secretary Manoj Yadav when he was in police custody in the Eco Garden. Even a case was registered against our social media in-charge Mohit Pandey when he was on his way to Lucknow from Delhi. How has all this been done and at whose behest?" Lallu asked.
Alleging that at the instance of Yogi government, the Congress office is being spied upon, Lallu said those who acted as the informers for the Britishers are now spying on the Congress office through police and intelligence agencies.
"For a month now, police has been deputed at the gate (of Congress office); what has the police got to do at the party office gate," he asked.
Congress Legislature party leader Aradhana Mishra Mona said that the arrest of Alam was an act of cowardice.
"The government is trying to suppress the voice of opposition. The frustration of the Yogi government over the increasing influence of the Congress is quite obvious now," she said.