UP Congress workers lathicharged in Lucknow

, Nov 21: UP

party workers were on Thursday lathicharged by the Lucknow police near Vidhan Bhawan where they were protesting on

non-implementation.

Although the Centre government has passed the Right to Food Act to provide food at subsidised rates to about 71% of the Indian population, the Uttar Pradesh government has not implemented the scheme in the state.

Against the SP government's delaying on the matter, the Congress party workers had staged a sit-in in front of the Vidhan Bhawan, Lucknow on Thursday.

Police, then, baton-charged Congress workers when they tried to forcefully enter the Uttar Pradesh assembly premises during their protest to press for speedy implementation of food security scheme in the state.

Several party activists and media persons were injured in the lathi-charge by police, Congress leaders said.

Congress workers, led by incharge of the party affairs in the state Madhusudan Mistry and Union minister Sriprakash Jaiswal, 'gheraoed' the state assembly building over the delay in the implementation of food security scheme in the state. Some Congress workers who tried to scale the wall of the state assembly were pulled down by policemen.

Congress party workers had staged a sit-in in front of the Vidhan Bhawan.

To disperse the protesters, police had to resort to mild cane charge.

Some of the workers received injuries in the head and were taken to hospital while others tore away posters bearing the pictures of Samajwadi Party leaders in protest.

Following which, senior party leaders sat in protest against the police action terming it "an attack on their right to protest."

Mistry said the party was fighting for the cause of the poor people, and it would ensure that they get their right. Sriprakash Jaiswal said that if the state government did not implement the scheme, people would not pardon them.

"If someone wants to become the prime minister by depriving the poor of their right to food, people would not pardon them," Jaiswal said, adding that UP government would not be able to stop a silent revolution against it.

Earlier, addressing partymen, Congress MP, Jagdambika Pal said partymen would not rest till the scheme is announced in the state for which a "jail bharo" agitation would start from tomorrow.

Referring to the BJP honouring two of its MLAs accused of instigating Muzaffarnagar riots in Agra, Pal said BJP was giving them a clean chit even before the court has given its verdict on them.

OneIndia News

(With PTI inputs)