Congress will conduct a 'Padyatra' on October 20 and submit a memorandum to Governor Ram Naik to lodge a strong protest against the imposition of NSA against its MLA Ajay Rai in connection with the violence during 'Anyay Pratikar Yatra' in Varanasi.
"Congressmen will stage a padyatra from party office till the Raj Bhawan and submit a memorandum demanding release and withdrawal of NSA on Ajay Rai and stern action against those responsible for violence during the 'Anyay Pratikar Yatra' on October 5," Chairman of Communications Department of the party Satyadev Tripathi told newspersons.
Besides AICC General Secteray Madhusudan Mistry, UPCC president Nirmal Khatri, Rajya Sabha members Pramod Tewari, PL Punia, Sanjay Singh, Congress Legislature Party leader Pradip Mathur and other senior party leaders will take part in the march, Tripathi said.
Alleging that he was being targeted by the SP government to please Prime Minister Narendra Modi as Rai had contested the Lok Sabha election against him, Tripathi said his party strongly condemned such actions.
Tripathi said Rai had taken part in the 'Anyay Yatra' of religious leader Swami Avimukteshwaranad as Varanasi MLA and claimed he was joined by other MLA from the city Shyamdev Roy Chaudhary (BJP) and leaders of VHP and Bajrang Dal.
He accused the leaders of saffron outfits of spreading violence during the yatra and alleged that the administration did not take any action against them.
Rai was arrested on October 6 on charges of involvement in violence which had broken out during the yatra to protest ban on immersion of Ganesh idols in the Ganga.
A fact finding team would also be sent to Varanasi tomorrow by the Congress party to find the truth behind Rai's arrest.
