BENGALURU: Senior Congress leaders in Karnataka slammed the Delhi police for manhandling party leaders and arresting them while they were on their way to the Congress office in the national capital.“Police manhandled DK Suresh, Dinesh Gundu Rao and others. We don’t know if this is a democracy or a police state. This is violation of fundamental rights,” leader of opposition Siddaramaiah said condemning the police action against Congress leaders protesting the Enforcement Directorate (ED) action against party leader Rahul Gandhi.
“Do we have an emergency situation in the country?” Siddaramaiah asked. He accused the police of ill-treating the party leaders, who were taken to the police station. Terming the ED probe as political vendetta, the senior Congress leader said they are protesting against the politically motivated action by the government.
State Congress president DK Shivakumar said party workers from across the country are expressing displeasure over the ED action against the party leaders. “Is it a democracy? Is it not an injustice to arrest leaders going to the party office?” he questioned. Shivakumar said they had never seen such low-level politics and the situation is worse than the emergency. “Our leaders have not done anything wrong and we will continue with our protests,” he said.
The Congress leader questioned the need for questioning Rahul Gandhi for 10 hours. “Why was he questioned for 10 days? What was his mistake?” he said. Responding to Higher Education Minister Dr C N Ashwanth Narayan’s remarks that those who took part in the protest rally will end up in Tihar Jail, the Congress leader said Narayan is the most corrupt education minister in the country and he will respond to him at an appropriate time.