JAMMU, October 10: Hundreds of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers staged a protest against the Congress in Jammu on Saturday, burning an effigy of Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and demanding his resignation over a controversy involving Congress MP Angomcha Bimol Akoijam.
The demonstration was organised by the BJP’s women’s wing and led by Jammu and Kashmir BJP president Sat Sharma. Several party MLAs, including Chandra Prakash Ganga, Narinder Singh, Yudhvir Sethi, Devinder Kumar Manyal, Arvind Gupta, Mohan Lal and Vikram Randhawa, participated in the protest. Former minister Priya Sethi was also present.
The protesters assembled near the Deputy Commissioner’s office on Wazarat Road and marched towards Residency Road, intending to demonstrate outside the Congress headquarters. However, police stopped them, following which BJP leaders and workers staged a sit-in protest and set Rahul Gandhi’s effigy on fire.
BJP Targets Congress Over Women’s Issues
Addressing the gathering, Sat Sharma accused the Congress of being anti-women and criticised its position on the proposed legislation providing one-third reservation for women in legislative bodies.
He said the BJP supported the passage of the legislation to ensure greater representation for women in politics and alleged that the Congress had opposed the move.
Demand For Action Against Congress MP
Referring to the controversy involving Angomcha Bimol Akoijam, the Congress MP from Inner Manipur, Sharma demanded his expulsion from the Lok Sabha following his reported dismissal from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) over allegations of sexual harassment involving students.
Sharma also asked Rahul Gandhi to clarify his position on women’s dignity, demanding that he either apologise to the nation or resign as Leader of the Opposition.
BJP Leaders Accuse Opposition Of Divisive Politics
BJP MLA Chandra Prakash Ganga accused the Congress and other opposition parties of attempting to create instability in the country. He alleged that issues such as electronic voting machines were being raised to divert attention from development.
Ganga said BJP workers would oppose any attempts to disturb peace and would continue to stand for the country’s unity and integrity.
Meanwhile, BJP MLA Yudhvir Sethi criticised the Congress over allegations of corruption, dynastic politics and minority appeasement, accusing the party of misleading the public.
The protest reflected the BJP’s escalating criticism of the Congress over the controversy and its broader disagreements with the opposition on women’s representation and political accountability.
