A lunch, then a march: How Rahul-led opposition once again kept police guessing
The episode was the latest example of a 'dhappa' style protest that Rahul Gandhi and the Congress have recently used. The latest episode began after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge announced an INDIA bloc sit-in at Jantar Mantar following the lunch. "Today, we will hold a sit-in protest at Jantar Mantar. Until our demands are met, we will continue to stage such protests," Kharge announced.
On Wednesday, Congress and INDIA bloc leaders met for lunch at a restaurant on Janpath, before boarding buses to Jantar Mantar for a protest. The demonstration took an unexpected turn when Delhi Police stopped the buses on Ashoka Road, leading to further confrontation between Congress leaders and the police. The episode was reminiscent of previous "dhappa" style protests, with Congress leaders continuing to stage such protests until their demands were met.
The confrontation escalated as Congress MPs climbed on top of a bus and other activists laid down on the road, while Congress workers punctured the tyres of the bus carrying Rahul Gandhi. The protest eventually ended with police forcibly removing Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi from the Akashvani Bhawan premises.
Brief written by urgent.news from Times of India's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
