Several Congress leaders, including former Uttarkhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat, were detained as the Delhi Police cracked down on the party's protest held near the Red Fort against the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi.
Congress had planned the 'Loktantra Bachao Mashal Shanti March' from Red Fort to Town Hall at 7 pm. However, according to reports, Delhi Police denied permission for the march citing law and order situation.
A heavy force of uniformed personnel was stationed outside Red Fort before the Congress MPs kicked off their march.
The Congress has said that it would take to the streets against Gandhi's disqualification and reach out to the public on the issue. The party has announced over a month-long agitational programmes from block to national level, including a 'Jai Bharat Maha Satyagraha' in Delhi.
Gandhi was disqualified as a Lok Sabha member on March 24, a day after he was sentenced to two years in jail by a Surat court in a 2019 criminal defamation case.
Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, AICC general secretary in-charge organisation K.C. Venugopal said a 'Jai Bharat Satyagraha' to protest the "erroneous" conviction and disqualification of Gandhi, and to express the Congress' resolve to keep raising the voice of the people against the "blatant loot of people's money" will be held from the block and madal levels to the national level.
A protest by SC/ST/OBC/Minority departments in front of B.R. Ambedkar or Mahatma Gandhi's statues in all state capitals will be held beginning April 3, he said.
From April 15 to 20, 'Jai Bharat Satyagraha' will be held at the district level as part of which the district collectorate will be gheraoed, Venugopal said, adding that senior leadership will attend and address these district-level events.
On Monday, the Congress held a “black” protest in parliament which was joined by several opposition parties including the Trinamool Congress and the Bharat Rashtra Samithi.
With PTI inputs
