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MPs of the opposition party raised slogans against the government demanding that the GST hike on essential items be withdrawn, with Sonia Gandhi standing with the women MPs of the party, holding a banner, outside gate number 1 of Parliament.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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Bengaluru rains: Woman killed in wall collapse, opposition tears into Congress over city infra
Bengaluru, May 19 (PTI): A 35-year-old woman was killed in a wall collapse on Monday in this city being battered by heavy downpour, even as the opposition BJP targeted the Congress government over the city's infrastructure in the wake of the rains and resultant civic issues.
Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said the woes faced by the IT capital during rains was not new, but that the government was now working to fix them with a long-term solution.
The city received about 104 mm of rainfall in the last 24 hours, inundating many low-lying areas and leading to traffic pile-up, prompting the BJP to launch a scathing attack on the ruling Congress.
Former Deputy Chief Minister and MLA of Malleswaram, CN Ashwath Narayan criticised Shivakumar, saying, "Crores spent. Zero results."
Taking to 'X' he said: "Last night's rains didn't expose Bengaluru's infrastructure — they exposed @DKShivakumar's track record of the last two years of doing nothing."
Karnataka BJP General Secretary and MLA of Karkala, Sunil Kumar Karkala hallenged the government on 'X' to release a white paper on how much has actually been spent on Bengaluru's infrastructure in the last two years.
"Visit Silk Board once — you'll see your real contribution," he said.
Speaking at a press conference, BJP spokesperson Ashwath Narayan Gowda said that "despite the weatherman predicting heavy rainfall almost a week ago, there were no efforts made to meet any monsoon-related exigency. The deputy chief minister D K Shivakumar is directly responsible for the rain havoc in the city".
He alleged that the deputy CM kept repeating 'Brand Bengaluru' and in the last assembly session, Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill was passed.
"From Brand Bengaluru to Greater Bengaluru, and now from Greater Bengaluru, it has now become Submerged Bengaluru. This is the achievement of the state government," Gowda charged.
The BJP leader alleged no development work took place in the city in the past two years, which finally culminated in rain havoc.
"Maximum taxes in Karnataka are collected from Bengaluru, but the investment required on the basic infrastructure here is not being done," the party spokesperson said.
Shivakumar, also in charge of Bengaluru, said he was in touch with officials concerned and was "closely monitoring the situation".
In his 'X' post, he said that he is deeply concerned by the havoc caused by relentless rains in Bengaluru.
"I've been in continuous touch with the concerned officers, and I'm closely monitoring the situation. As always, I remain committed to Bengaluru - working round the clock to address challenges and ensure relief. I will be visiting the BBMP War Room and flood-affected areas personally to take stock on the ground."
He agreed that the issues Bengaluru faces are not new.
"Let us be clear: the issues we face today are not new. They have been ignored for years, across governments and administrations. The only difference now is - we are working to solve them. Not with temporary fixes, but with long-term, sustainable solutions," he said further in his post on 'X'.
Shivakumar further reiterated that he stands with Bengalureans.
"To my fellow Bengalureans - I am one among you. I understand your concerns, I share your frustration, and I assure you of my commitment to resolving them. I stand with you," he wrote.
