Wearing black clothes, Congress MPs stage protest in Parliament
New Delhi(PTI) : Wearing black clothes, Congress MPs, led by party chief Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, staged a protest in the Parliament House complex on Friday as they marched towards the Rashtrapati Bhawan as part of their nationwide stir against price rise, the GST hike on essential items and unemployment.
The protesting MPs of the opposition party raised slogans against the government demanding that the GST hike on essential items be withdrawn, with Sonia Gandhi standing with the women MPs of the party, holding a banner, outside gate number 1 of Parliament.
They were, however, stopped by the Delhi Police and not allowed to proceed towards the Rashtrapati Bhawan. Sonia Gandhi did not take part in the march. The other MPs were detained by police at Vijay Chowk.
"Again today, Congress MPs denied democratic right to protest against price rise, unemployment and GST. Bundled into police vans at Vijay Chowk. It's clear, only those who are afraid try to instill fear!" party leader Jairam Ramesh said in a tweet.
The Congress leaders, including former party chief Rahul Gandhi, wore black shirts and black bands on their arms as a mark of protest.
Leaders and workers of the Congress assembled at the party headquarters here to participate in the nationwide protest against price rise, the hike in the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on essential items and unemployment.
The party is also protesting against the alleged misuse of probe agencies by the government to target its leaders.
Top Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, reached the party headquarters in the morning.
The Delhi Police has denied permission to the opposition party to stage a protest in the national capital as prohibitory orders are in place in New Delhi district.
The Congress workers also seek to gherao Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence as part of the protest.
The protesting Congress MPs tied lemons, chilies and empty packets of dairy products around their neck as a mark of protest.
Meanwhile, security at the Congress headquarters has been beefed up as the party workers, led by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, are slated to gherao the prime minister's residence.
A large number of police personnel has been deployed at 24, Akbar road amid heavy rains in Central Delhi.
The entire lane leading up to the Congress office has been heavily barricaded and the media has also been barred to enter the party office.
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BJP leader Vinod Tawde accused in cash-for-votes scandal ahead of Maharashtra Assembly polls
Mumbai: In a dramatic turn of events, BJP national general secretary Vinod Tawde was allegedly caught with cash at a hotel in Virar (East) on Wednesday morning, just hours after campaigning for the Maharashtra Assembly elections concluded. The incident has sparked a political storm, with allegations of electoral malpractice being leveled against the BJP.
Supporters of the Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA) stormed the Vivant Hotel in Manvelpada, where Tawde was reportedly meeting BJP candidate Rajan Naik and local leaders. The BVA members alleged they found Tawde distributing cash during the gathering. In a heated confrontation, BVA supporters reportedly flung cash at Tawde and called the police, who later escorted him away from the scene.
BVA President Hitendra Thakur accused Tawde of possessing ₹5 crore in cash and diaries containing names, purportedly for vote-buying purposes. Thakur alleged that the hotel gates were locked during the meeting, raising suspicions of an illicit gathering.
The BVA has also demanded an inspection of all 30 rooms at the hotel after ₹9 lakh in cash was reportedly found in one of the rooms. They expressed concerns over irregularities in the polling process, specifically highlighting webcasting at 507 polling booths in the Nalasopara constituency.
The Nalasopara constituency, currently represented by BVA MLA Kshitij Thakur, is witnessing a triangular contest among BJP's Rajan Naik, Congress's Sandeep Pandey, and BVA's candidate. BVA has called for strict action against Tawde, with Thakur alleging that the BJP leader had called him to apologize for his presence in Virar after the campaign period ended.
Reacting to the allegations, Tawde denied any wrongdoing, stating, "There are CCTV cameras in the hotel room. I simply came to meet party workers. For 40 years, I have been in politics and never distributed money." Tawde emphasized that Election Commission officials had videographed the room and urged for transparency in the investigation.
The controversy has led to sharp criticism from opposition parties. Congress candidates Sandeep Pandey and Vijay Patil demanded immediate police action, while Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut accused the BJP of attempting to influence the elections through unethical means. "The BJP’s scheme has come to an end. Thakur has done what the Election Commission should have done," Raut wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
The Tuling Police in Nalasopara East have registered an FIR against Vinod Tawde under provisions of the Representation of the People’s Act. Election officials confirmed the seizure of ₹9 lakh in cash and other documents from the hotel.
BJP के राष्ट्रीय महासचिव विनोद तावड़े महाराष्ट्र के एक होटल में पैसे बांटते हुए पकड़े गए हैं।
— Congress (@INCIndia) November 19, 2024
विनोद तावड़े बैग में भरकर पैसे लेकर गए थे और वहां पर लोगों को बुला-बुलाकर पैसे बांट रहे थे।
ये खबर जब जनता को पता चली तो भारी हंगामा हो गया। पैसों के साथ विनोद तावड़े के कई वीडियो… pic.twitter.com/iqbMcGJtyQ
