Farmers Movement Archive

Jharkhand Congress leaders bound for Lakhimpur Kheri barred from entering UP

RANCHI: Hundreds of Congress workers from Jharkhand, led by party president Rajesh Thakur, cabinet ministers Banna Gupta (health) and Badal Patralekh (agriculture), who were headed for violence-torn Lakhimpur Kheri in Uttar Pradesh (UP) on Wednesday, were barred from entering the northern state in the early hours on Thursday. The Congress workers, numbering about 250, left for UP on cars under the aegis of the state party president Rajesh Thakur to protest against the detention of AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi and meet the family members of the deceased farmers who were killed by a speeding car, allegedly linked to Union minister of state (home) Ajay Mishra in Lakhimpur Kheri on October 3. However, in the early hours of Thursday, they were stopped at Windhamganj on the Jharkhand-UP border by a large force of UP police. Confirming the incident, Thakur told TOI, “Stopping opposition leaders continuously from entering Uttar Pradesh has exposed the Yogi Adityanath government’s fear. First, they stopped and illegally detained our AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi for close to three days without allowing her to go Lakhimpur Kheri and now, we were stopped from entering UP.” Thakur added that a sea of policemen was on the border to stop their cavalcade. “From about midnight, we sat on the streets in protest against such high handedness. Now, we are returning. But we will lead a delegation to the violence-hit area in coming days,” he said, adding that after reaching Jharkhand, the party will continue to fight for justice to the bereaved family members of the deceased farmers and support the ongoing farmers’ agitation against the Centre’s three farm laws in all possible ways. In Ranchi, Congress spokesperson Rakesh Sinha described the situation in UP as “killing raaj”. He said, “In UP, the situation has turned into killing raaj, not Ram Rajya. And the culprits are at still at large,” he said, questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his silence over the issue even as the Supreme Court took a suo moto cognizance expressing concern over the incident. A total of eight persons, including a few BJP leaders, had died in Lakhimpur Kheri violence which broke out on Sunday (October 3) after four farmers were reportedly mowed down by a speeding car. Union minister Ajay Mishra’s son, Ashish, is accused of driving the car even as he and his father had denied the allegations. Ashish has been booked by UP police.

The Times of India

2021-10-08

Ranchi