Women activists from the Bharatiya Janata Party are hit with a water cannon as they shouted slogans yesterday against the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit near the Congress office during a protest against steep price rise of various commodities in New Delhi.


IANS/New Delhi


Accusing the Congress of dividing the nation on religious lines and ruining the economy, the BJP said yesterday that the people will “never forgive” the party.
Addressing the media here, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi criticised Minority Affairs Minister K Rahman Khan’s proposal for setting up a task force to oversee terror cases involving Muslims.
“His (Khan) proposal for setting up of a special task force to oversee the terror cases against the members of the Muslim community is a recent addition to the party’s ongoing strategy to polarise India,” Lekhi said, adding that a perception was sought to be created that Muslims were being targeted in false cases.
“The Congress has once again demonstrated its intention to divide India on religious lines,” she said.
Lekhi said that there were reports suggesting the alleged involvement of Khan in Amananth Co-operative Bank scam in south India.
“There are reports of alleged Rs2tn worth of scam involving encroachment and sale of Wakf properties,” she said.
Accusing the Congress of taking the Muslim community for a “royal ride”, Lekhi said the party, since independence had ensured that the community didn’t prosper.
“The Congress along with a coalition of corrupt parties has sought to create a false sense of insecurity amongst the minorities and thereby hampered mainstreaming of all citizens,” she said.
Reacting to accusations terming Ishrat Jahan shootout case in the BJP-ruled Gujarat as fake, Lekhi said that the Congress was misquoting facts pertaining to shootouts.
“The NHRC (National Human Rights Commission) data firstly, shows that there are more fake encounters in Congress-ruled states and, secondly, more Hindus have been killed in fake encounters,” she said.
“After inflicting such deadly wounds as price rise, inflation, rupee devaluation, corruption, lawlessness and communal hatred for nearly 10 years, the Congress party must be defaced and exposed,” she added.
“India will never forgive this party,” Lekhi said.

BJP women activists protest price hike

Over a 100 women activists of the BJP’s women wing gathered outside the ruling Congress’ office yesterday to protest the steep price rise.
Holding placards in their hands, the activists of the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) Mahila Morcha gathered outside the Congress office at 24, Akbar Road in central Delhi, at about 1pm and raised slogans against the federal government and the ruling coalition.
The protesters tried to break through a barricade, leading Delhi Police to use water cannons to disperse them. “We have detained few protesters, while others dispersed when we used water cannons. The detained protesters were taken in a bus to Parliament Street police station,” a police official told IANS.