The Congress Vice President Mr. Rahul Gandhi was arrested today as he tried to go to Mandsaur of Madhya Pradesh, which was the epicenter of violent farmer protests and that have escalated over the death of 5 in police firing on Tuesday. Rahul Gandhi attempts to defy police barricades turned into a wild steeplechase. He swapped his car for a bike, then hopped on to another bike, and then set out on foot through fields before he was taken to the guest house which served as a makeshift jail.
Other senior party leaders of National Congress also were arrested after they were placed under preventive custody, 56 km from the riot-hit Pipliamandi area of Mandsaur district. Mr. Rahul Gandhi, along with JDU leader Sharad Yadav and Congress leaders Digvijay Singh were kept at Vikram Tent House, which was converted into a jail temporarily, in Nayagaon. But He was released 4 hours later.
Rahul Gandhi said, “I squarely blame Narendra Modi and the chief minister, Shivraj Singh Chouhan for the killing of farmers”. He also mentioned, “The country’s Prime Minster Modi can waive off Rs 1.50 lakh crore worth loans for the richest people of India, but can’t pay heed to those farmers. Prime Minister Modi can only give bullets to them”. He moved towards Nimbaheda area on road and stopped at several points to meet Congress workers. He reached Udaipur on a chartered flight from New Delhi.
Home Minister of Madhya Pradesh Bhupendra Singh Said, “Mr. Gandhi tried to break all security rules and provisions which are wrong. It doesn’t suit to him as he is a national party leader. It does not suit to him to ride a bike without a helmet like a college student”.
The state police said that this morning they will not allow Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders to enter the area in Mandsaur, where a large number of farmers are in a protest for better prices for their crops. Rahul Gandhi had tweeted on Wednesday that he wanted to meet the families of those farmers killed in police firing. He finally spoke to those farmers on the phone, while in custody. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has accused him of exploiting the agitation for a political gain.
On Tuesday tension peaked when protesters threw rocks and vandalized vehicles, after which the police opened fire at a crowd. The state government confirmed today that the death of those 5 farmers was because of police firing, after denying it earlier. CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan posted an appeal on Facebook: “Discussions can solve the issue but some are targeting for political gain, will not spare them”.
The Congress Vice President Mr. Rahul Gandhi is set to take over as party president by October 2017. Gandhi’s plan to travel to riot-hit Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh last month sparked a similar row as the new CM Yogi Adityanath of BJP government denied him permission for the said visit.
