BJP condemns attack on protesters at Rahul's rally

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday condemned the attack on black-flag carrying protesters at Rahul Gandhi's rally in Phulpur allegedly by two Union ministers and other senior Congress leaders, saying they have no right to lower the dignity of the posts they hold.

When a few protesters, carrying black flags, reached near the helicopter carrying Gandhi, Union ministers Jitin Prasada and R P N Singh allegedly rushed towards them and kicked them. Congress Legislature Party leader Pramod Tiwari also joined them. These leaders attacked the protesters even as the police were using lathis and rifle-butts to deal with them.

"The two ministers involved in this incident have no right to lower the dignity of the office they hold. There is a way of dealing with protests. Leaders and ministers have no right to break the decorum," BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said. He maintained that in politics such protests were common and one should deal with them in a civil manner.

"When we hold programmes, the Congress members protest but we do not indulge in such behaviour. The ministers and Congress leaders had no right to kick or punch the protesters," Hussain said.

When the mediapersons told Hussain that there were protests at BJP leader L K Advani's rally in Bhatinda on Sunday, Hussain said, "But we did not beat protester."

He also took digs at Gandhi, saying at his rally in Phulpur on Monday the crowd was thin and media presence was more. He insisted that the press was present in large numbers as Gandhi is a general secretary of the ruling party.