The Hindu : New Delhi News : Dharna, demonstrations continue on Akbar Road

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Mar 25, 2006

New Delhi

New Delhi

Dharna, demonstrations continue on Akbar Road

Staff Reporter

Entire road draped with banners, hoardings in support of Ms. Gandhi

NO, NEVER: The scene outside the Congress party headquarters in New Delhi on Friday. Photo: Sandeep Saxena

NEW DELHI: A large number of Congress workers and leaders continued to throng Akbar Road for the second day running on Friday in support of Sonia Gandhi who resigned from the Lok Sabha as well as chairpersonship of the National Advisory Council on Thursday. Lauding yet another sacrifice by the Congress president, party workers shouted slogans against the Bharatiya Janata Party and even burnt an effigy of its leader, L.K. Advani, for targeting Ms. Gandhi.

The dharna and demonstration that began on Thursday afternoon continued through the night with leaders and party workers, a majority of them belonging to India Youth Congress and National Students Union of India, taking turns to hold fort. Since early on Friday morning, Congress workers had again started pouring in near Ms. Gandhi's residence to express their solidarity with their party chief. They shouted slogans in support of Ms. Gandhi and some even urged her to take her resignation back.

Workers, including many women, described Ms. Gandhi as the "epitome of sacrifice" and lambasted the BJP and the Samajwadi Party for pursuing the politics of vendetta against the Congress president. Some section of party workers also appreciated the way in which Ms. Gandhi took the sting out of the BJP campaign against her by resigning.

Carrying party flags, workers from nearby States and also from Rae Bareli and Amethi joined the sit-in on Friday. Congress leaders who joined the workers included MPs, MLAs, senior party leaders and student leaders from Delhi University and Jawaharlal Nehru University. Interestingly, the entire Akbar Road on which the All-India Congress Committee office is situated has been draped with banners and hoardings by various leaders in support of Ms. Gandhi.

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