Varanasi: Hundreds of Congress supporters and leaders were taken into custody and later released on Thursday when they tried to march towards the Varanasi District Magistrate's office protesting against the non-implementation of food security scheme in Uttar Pradesh.
As part of its "Ghera Dalo-Dera Dalo" programme to press for the implementation of the food scheme in the state, hundreds of Congress workers and leaders gathered at the Cutting Memorial Ground in Varanasi, and were to march to the DM's office to put a lock on its gates.
But as soon as the agitators, led by Congress general secretary Madhusudan Mistry, Union Minster of State for Rural Development Pradeep Jain Aditya, MPs Raj Babbar and Pramod Tewari, and party's state unit chief Nirmal Khatri, came out of the ground, policemen used lathis and water cannons to prevent the agitators from marching ahead.
"About 200 Congress workers protesting against the non-implementation of food security scheme, corruption and price rise were chased away using lathis and water cannons," a home department spokesman said in Lucknow.
The agitators were taken into custody and drove to the Police Lines, from where they were later released on bail. "All the detained leaders and workers were send by 14 to 15 buses to the Police Lines," Circle Officer Mukesh Uttam said.
"We didn't let the Congress men reach the DM's office, all were detained near the ground," he said.
Earlier addressing the party men, Congress general secretary in-charge of party affairs in Uttar Pradesh Madhusudan Mistry alleged that there was lawlessness in the state during the Samajwadi Party regime, and there is no control of the government over its machinery.
Mistry alleged that in UP farmers were suffering. He said that in Muzzafarnagar people were living in refugee camps and fear to go back to their own houses. He questioned the government claims that there are no riot victims in the camps.
"Who are they (SP) to keep the poor hungry, we will not let these government offices to run if they can't fill the stomach of the poor," Congress MP Raj Babbar said.
