Headlines
Congress holds protest rally against land bill
Hundreds of Congress workers, including women, were detained here on
Monday as they broke barricades while marching towards parliament to
protest the land acquisition bill.
Youth Congress workers led by
MPs Anand Sharma, Ghulam Nabi Azad and other party leaders marched
towards parliament raising slogans against the bill and the central
government.
Police said the number of protesters was around 4,000
and as they reached Parliament Street -- a few hundred meters away from
parliament -- the crowd turned aggressive and broke barricades put up
by them.
Some of the protesters climbed atop the barricades and waved party flags. They also indulged in sloganeering.
Policemen in riot gear used water cannons and batons to force the crowd to retreat while some were detained as well.
"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."
Another
party leader Sachin Pilot said: "The BJP is the same party that had
proposed changes in the land acquisition bill but today they are
opposing (the changes) them."
The contentious land bill has
sailed smoothly through the Lok Sabha due to the NDA's majority, but
the government is facing stiff resistance in the Rajya Sabha where it
lacks the numbers, with the opposition determined to stall its passage