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BJP leaders court arrest

Staff Reporter

Remanded to 14-day judicial custody

NEW DELHI: Over two-dozen Bharatiya Janata Party leaders and workers, including their Delhi unit chief Harsh Vardhan, on Thursday courted arrest on the first day of their "Jail Bharo" agitation against the ongoing sealing drive in the Capital. They were later sent to Tihar Jail on 14-day judicial custody.

The BJP workers gathered at Bhajanpura Chowk and held a rally. They shouted slogans against the Delhi Government and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and accused the Congress leaders of failing to provide any relief to traders and people who have been facing demolition and sealing squads.

Dr. Vardhan criticised Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and Delhi Chief Minster Sheila Dikshit for showing no sympathy towards those being rendered jobless and homeless. He alleged that despite being in power for several decades, the Congress had failed to solve the civic problems of the people of Delhi and therefore has no right to continue.

During the protest, more than 200 activists were detained. Of them, only 25 leaders including Dr. Vardhan, MLAs Jaikishen Singh and Chaudhary Mahek Singh and former MLA Ram Prasad Singh were sent to jail.

Meanwhile, the Confederation of All India Traders has decided to hold a day-long hunger strike at Jantar Mantar on Friday where a large number of traders from all affected markets will participate to press their demand for promulgation of an Ordinance on the sealing issue and release of arrested leaders.

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