New Delhi: Holding the Modi Government responsible for making a mockery of the Constitution and democratic traditions to hoist a BJP Government, headed by Devandra Fadnavis in Maharashtra without people’s mandate, thousands of Congress workers, under the leadership of Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee president Shri Subhash Chopra, held a massive demonstration and gheraoed the BJP Headquarters at DDU Marg, New Delhi.
Among the demonstrators, besides Shri Subhash Chopra, were former DPCC presidents Shri Jai Prakash Agarwal and Shri Arvinder Singh Lovely, Delhi Pradesh Mahila Congress president Ms. Sharmistha Mukherjee, ex-MP Shri Ramesh Kumar, senior leader and chief spokesperson Shri Mukesh Sharma, who shouting anti-BJP slogans, rushed towards the BJP Headquarters in an angry mood.
When the angry Congress workers, under the leadership of Shri Subhash Chopra, tried to break the police barricade to enter the BJP headquarters, the heavy police security, while trying to block the demonstrators, clashed with them. The large police forced requested Shri Subhash Chopra to control the situation, and Shri Chopra appealed to the demonstrators not to turn violent which calmed them down. Para-military and anti-riot police were also present in large numbers to control the surging Congress demonstrators towards the BJP office.
The demonstrators shouted slogans such “Lok Tanter Ke Hathya Karne Walon Ke Naash Ho, Naash Ho; Modi Sarkar Hai, Hai, Thana Shahi Nahi Chalegi, Nahi Chalegi” etc. They also carried placards and banners with slogans against the Modi Government.
Addressing the demonstrators, Shri Subhash Chopra said that the Modi Government has not only murdered democracy, but also disregarded the Constitution to foist an undemocratic BJP Government in Maharashtra. He said that it was for the first time in the history that President’s rule was lifted at 5.15 a.m and the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister were swornin at 5.37 a.m with the entire drama lasting barely 22 minutes. Shri Chopra said that this will be considered as the darkest day in the annals of democracy to overturn the people’s mandate to swear in a Government without a majority. He said that the Congress party will strongly protest the murder of democracy from streets to the Parliament House. Shri Chopra charged that the BJP Government was not only misusing Government agencies to put pressure on the MLAs, but also threatening to implicate them in false cases if they did not fall in line.
Shri Subhash Chopra said that thousands of Congress workers assembled at the DPCC at a short notice of just two hours to gherao the BJP headquarters on DDU Marg which showed that people are very angry with the Modi Government’s black deeds to throttle democracy and make a mockery of the Constitution of the country. He said that the people of the country want to save democracy and democratic traditions at any cost. Shri Chopra stated that people are now forced to think that the election process in the country would be done away with. He said that democracy was not in safe hands now.
Shri Jai Prakash Agarwal and Shri Arvinder Singh Lovely said that the BJP, which is trying to impose an autocratic rule in the country, was not only misusing Government machinery and authorities, but also indulging in Government goondaism, to create an anarchic situation in the country. They alleged that the BJP, in their hunger for power, was willing to go to any extent to create a fear psychosis among the people to capture power, and that is what has happened in Maharashtra. They said that Congress is the only party which has always respected people’s verdict, and demanded the immediate resignation of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.
Shri Mukesh Sharma said that the Raj Bhawan in Maharashtra was functioning like a BJP agent. He appealed to the President of India to remove the Maharashtra Governor forthwith. He said that the BJP has been inflicting a blot on the Constitution time and again, and it was now the duty and responsibility of every citizen to save Constitution and democracy. He said that the Congress party will fight from the streets to the Parliament House to save democracy.
Prominents among those who participated in the demonstration were Delhi Govt. former Minister Dr. Narender Nath and Prof. Kiran Walia, Ex MLAs Ch. Mateen Ahmed, Naseeb Singh, Jai Kishan, Balram Tanwar, Alka Lamba, Sheeh Pal, Vijay Lochav, Neeraj Basoya, Kunwar Karan Singh, Anil Bhardwaj, Asif Mohd. Khan, Rajesh Jain, Brahm Pal, Poonam Azad, former leader of the House in MCD Jitender Kochar Jitu, Mukesh Goel, Abhishek Dutt amd Rinku, Jagjivan Sharma, Sewa Dal Chief Sunil Kumar, Rajat Makkar, Satish Khatana, Harnam Singh, Amit Malik, Varyam Kaur, Premlata Sangwan, Aalley Mohd. Ved Pal, Guddi Devi, Abdul Wahid, Sandeep Tanwar and all DCC presidents.