Agartala: Pandemonium over an altercation between police and Congress CWC member and MLA Sudip Roy Barman marred the mood of the anti-vote-theft rally organised on Saturday by the Congress party.
Barman alleged that leaders were barred from organising a street corner at the circuit house.
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According to Barman, the venue for the public meeting at the end of the foot march was changed thrice by the police at the behest of ruling party leaders.
Barman accused the cops of playing second fiddle to the ruling party.
However, finally a spot was decided where the Congress leaders addressed the workers for a brief period braving inclement weather conditions.
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“We have been asked to change the venue of our public meeting thrice. We have obtained the necessary permission for the rally. This is unacceptable,” said Barman.
As a part of the nationwide protests, the Tripura Pradesh Congress Committee had organised the Vote Chor Gaddi Chod rally extending solidarity to the national campaign spearheaded by Congress leader and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi.
Senior Congress leaders including, Congress AICC in-charge Saptagiri Ulaka and Christopher Tilak participated in the rally which traversed through different roads of Agartala city to finally culminate at circuit house, Agartala.
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Thousands of Congress activists from different parts of the state attended the rally.
It is learnt that long before the rally could reach its pre-decided end-point, police officials stopped it.
When the Congress leaders asked for an alternative area for organising the public meeting, the cops failed to do so.
Speaking about the objectives of the rally, Tripura Pradesh Congress president Asish Kumar Saha alleged that BJP had been trying to convert the Election Commission into its frontal wing.
“This campaign is part of a nationwide movement against vote theft, and Congress will continue its protests under this slogan coined by Rahul Gandhi,” Saha said.
Barman said, “The people of this country made a grave mistake by bringing the BJP to power, and now they are paying the price.”
Meanwhile, SP West Tripura Namit Pathak clarified that Congress had not obtained prior approval for the meeting.
“Since there was no permission, the gathering at Circuit House would have led to disorder. The administration took necessary measures to prevent the situation from escalating,” he said.
BJP leader Papia Datta who had contested the elections against Barman said that already a Ganesh Puja pandal was established in the circuit house area and BJP workers in good numbers were present there.
“The opposition parties through their activities proved that they are anti-god, anti-religion and anti-people. We took permission to organise the Puja here. Our political activists had organised the Puja. In such a situation, if a rally of the opposition party is granted permission, it could have led to unwarranted circumstances. The police did what they were supposed to do,” Datta added.