Cong to agitate against BSP misrule on May 9

Lucknow, May 8: Political bitterness between the Congress and the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in Uttar Pradesh would come on the roads tomorrow, when the state Congress will hold demonstration against the Mayawati government over the misrule and corruption.

With the Lucknow district authorities refusing to permit the Congress demonstration, including a march from Shahid Smarak to State Assembly tomorrow afternoon, the party the other hand is determined to hold the agitation in full swing.

However, the UP Congress was bringing out a 'white paper' on the real facts of the one-year rule of the BSP government in the state. The booklet highlighting the misrule of the state government would cover 14 issues, including corruption, law and order, rural development, dalit atrocities and price rise.

State Congress president Rita Bahuguna Joshi told UNI here today that her party would not defer the agitation.

'' Holding peaceful demonstration is our democratic right and no government can prevent us from doing so'', said Ms Joshi, claiming that the state capital authorities had not given their permission yet to hold the agitation.

She said that by preventing such demonstration, the state government wanted to crush the political parties through undemocratic norms, which could not be tolerated at any cost.

''We will hold a peaceful demonstration and the Mayawati government would be responsible for any untoward incident on the provocation of the authorities,'' she said.

Earlier, the Lucknow district authorities had not allowed meetings and rallies of Republican Party of India (RPI), Indian Justice Party (IJP) and Congress dalit cell.

Police had to use force against the activists of the RPI and IJP during their rally as they tried to violate the ban. In the police lathicharge, several leaders also sustained injuries.

UNI