Targeting the BJP for rising attacks against minorities, artists and intellectuals across India, Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Vice President Rahul Gandhi are leading with over 100 party leaders in a protest march towards Rashtrapati Bhavan.
The Congress delegation will hand over a memorandum to President Pranab Mukherjee. Sonia Gandhi met the President on Monday urging him to invoke his constitutional powers to stem the "atmosphere of intolerance". She also accused the Narendra Modi government of raising communal tensions across the nation.
Meanwhile, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley hit out at his government's political opponents, saying that there is no intolerance in the country. "The country has never been and never will be intolerant. There is no point raising the matter for political reasons," he said.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sambit Patra in turn criticised the Congress for holding the protest march. "Congress's march is sign of frustration," he claimed.
Not just by his own party members, Prime Minister Narendra Modi got a hand of support also from alliance partner and Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. The J&K CM said that incidents like Dadri are merely aberrations.
"Incidents like Dadri are aberrations and the mere fact that he has partnership with PDP which has only 3 MPs, reflects his broad vision," Sayeed said.
The move by the Congress comes in the backdrop of protests by artistes, writers and scientists over alleged "rising intolerance" reflected in the Dadri lynching, beef row and other such incidents.
Comments
0 comment