Cong to hold protest during Modi, Abe Kashi visit

VARANASI: UP Congress Committee has chosen December 12 to stage a protest in Kashi against the arrest of MLA Ajay Rai and invoking NSA against him during the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe here.
Reacting on the issue of intolerance UPCC president Khatri suggested to turn pages of history to see how Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh people were involved in targeting Sikhs during 1984 riots and termed Babri demolition as the biggest example of intolerance.
Khatri was in the city on Thursday to hold meeting with office bearers and leaders of 14 districts of east UP to chalk out strategies for making party’s proposed statewide agitation a success. Talking to reporters after the meeting the UPCC chief said, “The District Congress Committee of Varanasi has already announced to hold a `Satyagrah’ (agitation) here on December 9 in Rai episode. But, during the meeting the partymen decided also to stage protest during Modi’s stay in the city on December 12.” During the meeting the participants decided to mark their protest by standing in river Ganga at any ghat, when Modi and Abe would be viewing Ganga Aarti at Dashaswamedh Ghat.
However, Khatri said that nature of protest would be decided later. Such protest could prove surprising as the party has decided not to disclose its nature, he added. He said that UPCC is launching its statewide stir from December 9 against inflation increasing intolerance, recruitment scams, deteriorated law and order in state and issues of farmers. As a part of it, he said, `Padyatra’ (foot marches) would be carried out in all districts and this agitation would take place in Varanasi on December 21.
During this agitation in east UP district the party will also highlight the issue of Rai, said Khatri claiming that party would expose how Modi, Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav were keeping hands in gloves to harass Rai, who contested parliamentary election against Modi and later continued exposing his failures in Varanasi parliamentary constituency. He also alleged that Modi government has failed in improving the condition of Ganga.
Reacting on the issue of intolerance Khatri said demolishing Babri on December 6, 1992 by making the mockery of Indian constitution is the biggest example of intolerance in this country. He said that if the history would be revisited the harsh truth of the role of RSS men during Sikh riots of 1984 would get exposed.