BENGALURU: Congress leaders in Karnataka slammed the Uttar Pradesh government for stopping senior party leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi from going to Hathras, to meet the family of the gangrape victim who died on Tuesday in a New Delhi hospital.Senior leaders took out a protest in Bengaluru on Thursday evening to condemn the arrest of party leaders by UP Police. Janata Dal (Secular) leaders, too, criticised the police action.
“We strongly condemn the arrest of Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi. Yogi Adityanath will have to pay a price for his high-handedness,” said former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. “If senior leaders are not safe in UP, how can Dalits, women and farmers be safe?” he questioned.
Taking to social media, Rajya Sabha member Mallikarjuna Kharge said stopping Rahul Gandhi from reaching the victim’s family shows that UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is unnerved that his administration would be exposed. “There is complete collapse of law and order. The UP CM has failed to protect women and Dalits,” he added.
KPCC president DK Shivakumar said everyone in the country must condemn the UP incident. “We condemn the assault by UP Police on our leader Rahul Gandhi who is fighting for justice for the Hathras gangrape victim. Under what law has he been detained? Why are Rahul and Priyanka not being allowed to meet the victim’s family?” he said. People should teach the BJP governments in UP and the Centre a lesson, he added. Congress working president Saleem Ahmed, MLAs and workers took part in the protest in Bengaluru.
Former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda said the UP government should treat senior leaders like Rahul and Priyanka with great care. “They are fighting for a just cause. Protest is a democratic right,” Gowda said.Former CM and JDS leader HD Kumaraswamy said the UP Police’s high-handedness was an attempt to take away the right to protest.
“The behaviour of the UP police in manhandling former AICC president @RahulGandhi and AICC General Secretary @priyankagandhi, who were on a walk to console the distraught parents of the Dalit girl who was raped and killed, is highly condemnable...This behaviour of UP police on the eve of birth anniversary of advocate of non-violence Mahatma Gandhi is an effort to suppress the weapon of protest in a democracy...’’ he tweeted. ‘’Is it possible for police to hold the opposition party leader by his collar without the “direction” of the ruling party? This attitude is disastrous to our democracy.’’