Cong workers stage protest outside Lucknow police chief office

They denied us the permission due to their arrogance, Awasthi told PTI.Accusing the state government practising duplicity, he added, No Covid protocol or section 144 of the CrPC is applicable for Chief Minister Yogi Adityanaths programme but when it comes to the Congress, all these rules become applicable. Police Commissioner D K Thakur told PTI that the Congress had sought permission to organise a race but was denied due to pandemics.

Congress workers on Saturday night staged a protest outside the camp office of Lucknow police chief over denial of the permission to hold a race as part of their leader Priyanka Gandhi's "Ladki hoon, lad sakti hoon" poll campaign.

The protesting Congress workers, including some women, were forced into a police van and whisked away from their protest site outside the Lucknow police commissioner's office.

The five-km race was to begin at 8 am on Sunday, starting from the city 1090 crossing and ending there itself, UP Congress spokesperson Anshu Awasthi said.

''The BJP government is scared of the women moving towards the Congress. They denied us the permission due to their arrogance," Awasthi told PTI.

Accusing the state government practising duplicity, he added, "No Covid protocol or section 144 of the CrPC is applicable for Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's programme but when it comes to the Congress, all these rules become applicable.'' Police Commissioner D K Thakur told PTI that the Congress had sought permission to organise a race but was denied due to pandemics. ''So, they protested. They were told not to organise a race but hold an indoor programme for which permission will be given,'' he said.

Congress national spokesperson Supriya Shrinate told reporters at the party headquarters that the BJP government is adopting double standards.

The stopping of the race under the ''Ladki hoon, lad sakti hoon'' campaign, shows the anti-women mindset of the BJP, he alleged.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)