Amidst the confrontation between the Congress and the ruling dispensation intensifying in recent times, the party will hold a nationwide protest on Friday against price rise, unemployment and imposition of Goods and Services Tax on food items.
The party plans a 'Chalo Rashtrapati Bhavan' march from Parliament to President's House, to be undertaken by Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs. Members of Congress Working Committee and other senior leaders will also gherao the prime minister's residence.
At the state level, all PCCs will hold a 'Raj Bhavan Gherao', in which all state legislators and other senior leaders will take part. Protests have also been planned from the district down to the block levels.
“At 11am tomorrow, all Congress MPs will march to Rashtrapati Bhavan. We want to tell the President that the finance minister of the country has no idea about the problems of the common man,” said senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh.
While the Congress is at pains to emphasise that the protest is about issues that are basic to the lives of the people and wants to dispel the notion that it is meant to defend the first family of the party over the National Herald case, the developments in the matter, including the sealing of the office of Young Indian in the National Herald building in Delhi and the summoning of Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge by the investigating agency in connection with the case form the backdrop. The summoning of Kharge by the ED while the proceedings in Parliament were on has been condemned by the Congress as an insult of the parliamentary system.
The barricading and police bandobast put in place outside the Congress office, the residence of party president Sonia Gandhi and former party chief Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday had resulted in top party leaders rushing to the AICC headquarters amidst the “mysterious” restrictions. The barricades were later removed and the police dispersed. A special media briefing was held in the evening, in which the party attacked the ruling dispensation for the curbs and stated that Delhi Police had denied permission to the party to hold protests in the capital. Party leaders also attacked the BJP for trying to create a perception that the protests are about the ED action against its leaders.
Ahead of the protests, Rahul Gandhi, on Thursday, struck an aggressive tone, telling reporters in response to questions on the National Herald case: “I am not at all scared of Modi.” Asked about the barricades placed on Wednesday evening outside key addresses of the party, Rahul said, “Truth cannot be barricaded.”
