National Herald Case: Youth Congress Workers Stage Rail Roko

Youth Congress Organizes ‘Rail Roko’ Protest Against Central Government’s Actions on Sonia and Rahul Gandhi

PUNE: Youth Congress workers organized a ‘rail roko’ protest on Friday against the central government’s actions in respect of Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi over the National Herald case. The protest saw a temporary halt to a local train between Lonavala and Pune, which caused a brief disruption in services. After the train stoppage, the protesters marched towards the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) office but were later arrested by police at Alankar police chowky.

Shivraj More, the president of Youth Congress Maharashtra, criticized the government and said, “The central government is misusing the agencies to act against the leaders of opposition. Now it is misusing agencies to act against our national leaders. This is an attack on democracy, and we strongly condemn it. We will hold agitations in railway stations and bus stands.”

Akshay Jain, Youth Congress media head, seconded More’s view, stating that the National Herald case is a tool created only to discredit the image of Congress leaders. “While Rahul Gandhi keeps revealing this government and speaking the truth, the BJP government is abusing agencies against him.”. But we, Congress and the Youth Congress cadre, stand behind our leaders and, if required, we would hit the streets in their favour,” Jain said.

The protest identifies the continued contradictions between the ruling government and opposition, as politically motivated vendettas continue to emerge in the political arena. The Youth Congress’s determination to protect its leadership marks a greater resistance against alleged injustices, as the party rallies its mass base to confront the actions by the central leadership.