Barred from entering Karauli, Tejasvi Surya sits on dharna, calls Congress 'modern-day Muslim League'

They were stopped at the Dausa-Karauli border but kept demanding that they be allowed to meet victims of the April 2 violence

The Rajasthan Police on Wednesday detained BJP MP Tejasvi Surya and Rajasthan unit president Satish Poonia while they were on their way to violence-hit Karauli.

Police stopped the BJP leaders and workers near Mahua on the Jaipur-Agra highway, with the authorities citing law and order issues.

Despite being asked to get into a bus and taken away from the spot, the protesters kept demanding that they be allowed to meet victims of the April 2 violence, which broke out after a bike rally being carried out to mark the Hindu new year was pelted with stones. Over 30 people were injured in the violence.

"This is Rajasthan and not Afghanistan. The state government should stop giving second-grade treatment to Hindus. I condemn the anti-Hindu and anti-India policy of the state," Surya said after police stopped him.

Surya called the Congress the "modern-day Muslim League" and accused it of committing atrocities against Hindus.

"The way Indian Muslim League was dividing Hindus and committing atrocities against them, today Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi and Ashok Gehlot are continuing the same tradition," Surya alleged.

Earlier in the day, BJYM workers took out a "Nyay Rally" to meet victims of the violence in Karauli. When police stopped them near Mahua on the Jaipur-Agra highway, they sat on a dharna.

According to police, the BJP leaders were stopped from going to Karauli as a curfew was in place.

Reacting to the BJP's march, Congress National Convenor for Social Media Nitin Agarwal said that, "the BJP is trying to polarise to expand its base in Eastern Rajasthan where the saffron party has poor presence."

“When situation is becoming normal due to quick action by the Rajasthan Government, the BJP is indulging in instigating people to take political mileage,” he alleged.

“The BJP should concentrate on burning issues like price rise and lack of jobs instead of spreading hatred between communities. Rajasthan is known for being the most peaceful state and BJP's attempt to divide the society on communal lines will not succeed, “he said.

The BJP also faced criticism for handling the law order situation in Madhya Pradesh where curfew continued in violence-hit Khargone city for the third day on Wednesday. Madhya Pradesh Police said around 100 people have been arrested so far for allegedly indulging in the violence which broke out after stones were pelted on a Ram Navami procession on Sunday in Khargone.

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