HM Amit Shah links Cong's 'black cloth' protest to Ram Mandir

New Delhi, Aug 05: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday linked Congress leaders' protest in black clothes over the issues of price rise and unemployment to the party's "appeasement" politics to convey its opposition to the Ram temple foundation laying by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on this day in 2020.

Speaking to reporters, Shah said everybody saw protests from Congress leaders of late in regular clothes they wore but they especially chose black clothes for Friday agitation as Modi peacefully resolved an over 550-year dispute which was associated with the faith of crores of people.

Wearing black clothes, Congress leaders hit the streets on Friday to protest against price rise and unemployment with a host of them, including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, being detained by police amid dramatic standoffs outside Parliament and the AICC headquarters.

The construction of the temple is now in full swing, he noted. The Congress is conveying its opposition to the temple construction and the issues of ED action and price rise are only excuses, Shah claimed.

As the Congress could not have openly expressed its opposition to the temple, it has tried to give a hidden message, he alleged. Despite being in power for most of the time since independence, the Congress did nothing to resolve the dispute while Modi found a solution to it in a peaceful manner, the home minister said.

Congress MPs, including former party chief Rahul Gandhi, staged a protest in the Parliament House complex and then proceeded to take out a march towards the Rashtrapati Bhawan as part of the party's nationwide stir against price rise, the Goods and Services Tax (GST) hike on essential items and unemployment.

Urging Congress to be responsible, Shah said, "Congress must co-operate as per the law. The matter is going on the basis of complaints that have been filed. As far as ED is concerned, everybody should respect the law and order situation in the country."

The protesting MPs of the opposition party raised slogans against the government demanding that the GST hike on essential items be withdrawn, with party chief Sonia Gandhi standing with the women MPs holding a banner outside gate number 1 of Parliament. The protesters were, however, stopped by the Delhi Police and not allowed to proceed towards the Rashtrapati Bhawan.

More than 60 Congress MPs were detained by the police during the party's protest in Delhi against price rise and unemployment and were released after about six hours, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said.