Three BJP MPs, including Bansuri Swaraj, were detained by Delhi Police personnel during a protest march to the Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s residence, a day after the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill failed to pass in Lok Sabha.
Union MoS Raksha Khadse, BJP MPs Bansuri Swaraj and Kamaljeet Sehrawat and several other party leaders were detained during the protest by Delhi Police personnel, ANI news agency reported.
Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva was also detained.
According to a PTI report, BJP MPs Hema Malini, Bansuri Swaraj, Manju Sharma, and Vatsalya Gupta also participated in the protest.
Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta, BJP state chief Virendra Sachdeva, MP Manoj Tiwari and party women cadre also joined the protest.
The protestors gathered at Moti Lal Nehru Marg, torched an effigy of Rahul Gandhi and tried to reach his residence when the police used water cannon to disperse them.
After burning the effigy, the protestors tried to reach the Congress leader’s residence when the police used water cannon to disperse them and detained several leaders.
The protestors were then taken to Parliament Street police station, BJP’s state unit said in a statement.
However, Rahul Gandhi was not present at his residence at the time of the protest. The Congress leader was attending a poll rally in Tamil Nadu.
The protest comes a day after the Constitution Amendment Bill, which was part of the delimitation package, failed to clear the Lok Sabha amid a united front by the Opposition. While 298 members voted in favour of the bill, 230 voted against it. A two-thirds majority was required to clear the bill.
Congress has clarified that it does not oppose the women’s reservation but the delimitation process linked to the bill, which seeks to increase the seats in the Lok Sabha to 815, disproportionately lowering the share of Southern states in the Parliament.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to address the nation at 8:30 pm today. He is likely to speak about the collapse of the 131st Constitution Amendment Bill, targeting opposition over their decision.
About the Author
