Clash During BJP Protest In Bhubaneswar: Congress Issues 72-Hour Ultimatum For Arrest Of ‘Attackers’

Bhubaneswar: A day after a violent clash took place during a demonstration by BJP in Bhubaneswar, Congress on Wednesday gave a 72-hour ultimatum to the police to arrest of those who allegedly attacked its youth wing activists.

Accusing BJP of assaulting democratic norms, senior Congress leader and Jeypore MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati said that police must take the attackers into custody within 72 hours.

If no arrest is made within the stipulated time, Congress will stage agitation across the state, he said, adding that 20,000 youth and student activists will barge into the BJP office in Bhubaneswar, if necessary.

Reacting sharply to the Congress threat, state BJP leader Manoj Mohapatra said the saffron party activists were staging protest against Rahul Gandhi’s ‘insulting’ statement in Lok Sabha regarding Hindus on Tuesday. He sought to know as to why Congress activists opposed the demonstration.

Notably, youth wing workers of BJP and Congress were engaged in a street fight in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday evening over the speech of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Parliament on Monday.

The clash ensued when activists of BJP Yuva Morcha were staging a demonstration at Master Canteen Square in the city denouncing the alleged anti-Hindu statements of Rahul in Parliament.

While they were raising slogans against the senior Congress leader, some of them allegedly hurled stones and cow dung at his poster, put on display in front of the Congress Bhawan, the party headquarters, near the square.

This led the Congress workers to arrive at the spot and challenge the protesting BJP workers. Even as the police deployed there were trying to pacify them, some members of NSUI, Congress’ youth wing, also reached there and a clash broke out.