New Delhi, December 24
Congress leaders were on Thursday detained by the Delhi Police outside AICC headquarters after they defied prohibitory orders to march towards Rashtrapati Bhavan to submit memoranda by “two-crore farmers” against the farm laws.
After the Congress MPs and leaders gathered at party office this morning to march to President House, the police imposed Section 144 CrPC outside and prevented the march.
Only Rahul Gandhi, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury were allowed to proceed. The met President Ram Nath Kovind to urge his intervention for repeal of farm laws.
Back outside AICC, Congress leaders, including Priyanka Vadra, Jairam Ramesh, Kumari Selja, Randeep Surjewala KC Venugopal, Deepender Hooda, Preneet Kaur and others sat in protest on the road and raised slogans and anti-government banners.
They were later detained and taken to Mandir Marg police station.
Vadra lashed out at the Centre saying “the government has sinned by calling agitating farmers renegades.”
It’s a sin to call them anti nationals, she said adding that it was the responsibility of the government to heed the demands of farmers who are bracing winters to agitate.
Denying any politicisation of the protest Vadra said “Sometimes the Government says the Congress has no mettle and now they are saying that the Congress has mobilised farmers. Let them decide whether Congress has mettle or not,” she said.
She also said farmers were wise and knew what they were protesting for.
