The protest by Youth Congress workers against the “anti-farmer” Land Acquisition Bill turned violent on Monday. Police had to resort to lathicharge to disperse the agitating crowd as they tried to jump through the barricades near Parliament.
The police even used water cannons to push the protesters back as they attempted to scale the security barricades near Parliament.
Several Youth Congress workers are reportedly injured in the standoff.
The police have also taken several Youth Congress leaders to Parliament Street police station and hundreds have been detained.
They were led by MPs Anand Sharma, Ghulam Nabi Azad and other party leaders.
“The BJP is anti-farmer and it stands exposed today… farmers and the Congress will win this fight,” said party leader Randeep Surjewala.
Azad said, “The BJP has been a party of capitalists. They are not at all concerned for the welfare of the farmers.”
Party leader Sachin Pilot said, “The BJP is the same party that had proposed changes in the land acquisition bill but they are opposing (the changes) them.”
The minister was referring to Mr Gandhi’s father, who was killed in 1991.In Parliament earlier, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley averred that the Congress “is making a mountain out of not even a molehill” as he outlined that the process that saw a questionnaire being furnished to Mr Gandhi’s staff was initiated by Rajiv Gandhi’s government in 1987.
Youth Congress protesters had launched a march against the Land Acquisition Bill from Bhatta Parsaul in Uttar Pradesh on Friday and reached Rajghat.
On Monday, they reached Janatar Mantar and from there, proceeded towards Parliament.
