Ahmedabad: Top Gujarat Congress leaders and
scores of party workers were detained on Monday when they tried to
take out a rally from Sabarmati Ashram here to state capital
Gandhinagar in protest against the suspension of Opposition
leader Shaktisinh Gohil from the state Assembly.
Police thwarted the attempt of Congress workers, who after
attending a public meeting at the Ashram tried to take out the
march under the banner `Save Democracy` to Gandhinagar.
Among the leaders who were detained include Gujarat
Congress incharge Mohan Prakash, state unit party chief Arjun
Modhvadia, Union ministers Dinsha Patel, Tushar Chaudhary and
Bharatsinh Solanki, besides hundreds of party workers.
Congress was given permission only to hold a protest and
not to march to Gandhinagar. Therefore, police had to detain
the leaders and party workers by use of force, officials said.
"It is unfortunate that we are not being given the right
to protest and our people are being detained," Modhvadia said.
Congress was protesting against Gohil`s suspension from
the Assembly on March 2 for the entire Budget session
following his refusal to tender an apology in the House for
allegedly calling state agriculture minister Dilip Sanghani,
known to be close to Chief Minister Narendra Modi, a partner
of the Adani Group.
Earlier, the Congress had sought permission from the
Gandhinagar district administration to protest in front of the
state Assembly, but it was denied owing to the election code
of conduct as by-poll to Mansa Assembly constituency will be
held soon.
Modhvadia alleged that the Speaker`s decision to suspend
Gohil was a "ploy" by the state government as it feared being
exposed on the issue of corruption.
Meanwhile, Congress MLAs disrupted the proceedings of the
Gujarat Assembly after news of the party leaders` detention
reached them.
They raised the issue on the floor of the House and
resorted to anti-government sloganeering, which lasted for ten
minutes.
Speaker Ganpat Vasava adjourned the House for 10 minutes
following the ruckus.
PTI
