FIR against UP Cong chief Lallu, 2 others for 'protest'

A case has been registered against three persons, including UP Congress chief Ajay Kumar Lallu, who sat on a silent protest in front of a Mahatma Gandhi statue here along with party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday, police said.

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh): A case has been registered against three persons, including UP Congress chief Ajay Kumar Lallu, who sat on a silent protest in front of a Mahatma Gandhi statue, here along with party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, police said on Saturday. The case has been registered for damaging public property, sitting on protest without permission and prior information, Lucknow Police Commissioner D K Thakur said.

Earlier, on Friday Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra arrived in Lucknow on a two-day election-preparation visit to a rousing reception by party workers and started her programme with a silent protest before a Mahatma Gandhi statue against the BJP government in the state. The party's Uttar Pradesh in-charge reached Lucknow's Chaudhary Charan Singh Airport in the afternoon and moved in a procession through the main roads of the state capital to the Hazratganj GPO Park Gandhi statue and garlanded it.

Read: Priyanka arrives in Lucknow on 2-day visit, starts with silent protest against BJP govt

After that, she sat on a silent protest before the statue against the Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government in the state. She was joined by her party leaders including state Congress president Ajay Kumar Lallu. Lallu said, "Woman are not safe in the state. Priyankaji is sitting on a maun vrat (silent protest) at the feet of Mahatma Gandhi for ending this jungle raj and to uproot this dictatorial government."

Priyanka Gandhi's visit to the state comes at a time when UP is gearing up for the Assembly polls early next year. She faces an uphill task of reviving the party to a position of strength in the politically crucial state where the Congress was relegated to margins in the 2017 polls, swept by the BJP.

Read: PM's 'certificate' cannot hide Yogi govt's cruelty, negligence during Covid 2nd wave: Priyanka

(Agency Inputs)