Lucknow, July 17

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday met two women workers of the Samajwadi Party with whom BJP activists had allegedly misbehaved during the recent block panchayat chief elections.

UP Congress Chief, others booked

Lucknow: A case has been filed against three persons, including UP Congress chief Ajay Kumar Lallu, who sat on a silent protest in front of a Mahatma Gandhi statue here along with party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the police said on Saturday. The protest was meant to highlight “atrocities” on women. PTI

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav had earlier alleged that BJP workers misbehaved with his party candidate Ritu Singh and her proposer Anita Yadav in Lakhimpur Kheri. In a terse message to the ruling party, Priyanka tweeted: “The goons of the BJP involved in ‘cheerharan’ of democracy should hear that women will become pradhans, block pramukhs, MLAs, MPs and PM and defeat the government, which gives patronage to those committing atrocities against women...I will write to the State Election Commission.”

After meeting the aggrieved women, Priyanka told the media it was their constitutional right to file nomination papers and contest elections, “but this right of theirs was snatched. They were beaten up and disrobed. A CO who tried to intervene was suspended and no action... The administration remained silent.”

Priyanka further said, “This is a fight for democracy. Women were given reservation in our democracy so that their rights can be upheld. ...I demand that this election be cancelled and also at all those places where such incidents have occurred.” Putting the ball in the state government’s court, she said all those responsible for such acts should be held accountable. — PTI