New Delhi: The Congress has planned and is going through a day long fast at Mahatma Gandhi’s Memorial Rajghat in Delhi to which the party calls an attempt to “promote communal harmony” and to protest clashes during the Dalit protests on April 2.
According to the party leaders, Congress units across the country will observe the day as fast. They also added that the daylong campaign would also highlight the government’s ‘failures’ linked to the recent exam paper leak, the bank scam and the parliament session, which was ended without much work amid repeated disruptions.
The Congress was prompt for the move as soon as it heard about the ruling BJP’s fast by all of its parliamentarians on April 12 over the issue of blocking the parliament by the opposition party with leader Sonia Gandhi.
The Congress was also on the path to target the government over the Dalit protests. Just a week ago, Dalit groups called a “Bharat Bandh” against a Supreme Court order that they understood to have weakened a law meant for their protection against atrocities.
“We are praying for togetherness and for brotherhood, for all religions and castes in the country so that we can send out a message that all Indian are one and there is no division on caste basis,” said Congress leader Ajay Maken, who will join Rahul Gandhi at Rajghat.
The government asked the Supreme Court to have review of its previous order the same day the protests were held across the nation. The review petition will be taken up after the court receives responses from everyone concerned.
The Congress party alleges that the government acted belatedly in giving its support of Dalits and says that the community has suffered discrimination and attacks in the past four years of the Narendra Modi government.
According to the party sources, Rahul Gandhi was selected to lead a protest in New Delhi against the Narendra Modi government and no-functioning of the Parliament during the recently concluded Budget Session. The protest is part of country-wide “fast” of the party against the ruling NDA government and its failure to hold a discussion in the Parliament on key issues like the CBSE paper leak, Punjab National Bank Scam, Cauvery Issue and also the special status to Andhra Pradesh.
Just before Rahul Gandhi arrived at Mahatma Gandhi’s memorial Rajghat in Delhi to protest fast two controversial Congress leaders, Jagdish Tytler and Sajjan Kumar were asked to leave.
Both of the leaders, Jagdish Tytler and Sajjan Kumar are accused for having played a role during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in the aftermath of then prime minister Indira Gandhi’s assassination by her Sikh bodyguards.
According to the Congress Information Incharge, Surjewala, communal harmony and brotherhood are under threat with Modi government in power at the centre. Hence it is upon Congress party to fight such powers and this is the reason we have come together for.
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