Youth Congress and Yuva Morcha workers clash before Secretariat over slot allocation

Opposition's laying siege turns street fight.

Update: 2017-05-25 20:39 GMT
All India Youth Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Brar greets Youth Congress workers who had gathered to lay siege to the secretariat in protest against LDF government's one year in office, in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday. (Photo: A.V. MUZAFAR)

Thiruvananthapuram: In an apparent struggle for space, the Youth Congress and the BJP’s Yuva Morcha workers clashed  as they came before the secretariat to lay a 24-hour  siege on Thursday. The strikes were staged on the occasion of the first anniversary of Pinarayi Vijayan government’s rule which they described as a failure. The workers of both the parties had arrived in the capital from various districts on Wednesday evening itself. The  Yuva Morcha rally was inaugurated by their national president Poonam Mahajan and the Youth Congress rally by   national president Amrinder Singh Raja Brar. However, around 9 a.m., the two groups clashed,   destroyed the  flexes and hurled bottles and stones at each other.

As per police sources,  the Yuva Morcha men were  allotted a slot  near the gate close to Pankaj Hotel. The Youth Congress workers were given  space near Cantonment Gate. But both chose to protest at  North Gate,  also known as ‘Samara gate,’ for higher visibility. Leaders of both the parties ironed out the confusion by 9.30 a.m. Later,  the workers  hurled stones at the police and tried to storm the secretariat. Two policemen were injured and Youth Congress men managed to jump into the premises. The police lathicharged them and used water cannons to disperse the violent agitators. CPM MP M.B. Rajesh said that the Opposition parties had organised a comedy show in front of the secretariat. The Yuva Morcha leaders  claimed that their friction with the Youth Congress members was being overplayed though it was a minor scuffle.

Pinarayi, Modi two sides of the same coin:  Brar
All-India Youth Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Brar said here on Thursday that  Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan  were following anti-people policies. He was  inaugurating the Youth Congress siege of secretariat against the LDF government's one year in office. “Modi and Pinarayi are like two sides of the same coin. Pinarayi has  just changed the names of the central schemes and  implemented them here,”  he said. Ms Poonam Mahajan, BJP  MP and national Yuva Morcha president, who inaugurated the Yuva Morcha's siege of the secretariat, demanded that Governor P. Sathasivam should intervene to stop the murder politics of the CPM.   She also criticised Mr Pinarayi Vijayan’s style of functioning.

Yuva morcha national president Poonam Mahajan waving to supporters who assembled to lay siege to the Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday against the LDF Government's one year in office. (Photo: A.V. MUZAFAR)

LDF mocks Youth Congress, Morcha protests

The  ruling LDF on Thursday mocked at the protest organised by the opposition youth organisations, the Youth Congress and Yuva Morcha, on the occasion of the first anniversary of Pinarai Vijayan government. Left leaders said the protest which was meant to be against the government ended up in a street battle between the two organisations. Through the day the activists of both the organisations kept clashing with each other forgetting their objective of fighting the government policies much to the relief of the Left leadership.

Political observers say what was witnessed in front of secretariat hinted at BJP led organisations' growing aggression and desperation to emerge as major opposition force. They feel it is a calculated move from the BJP affiliated outfits to exploit every opportunity to position itself against the LDF government. While the fight for opposition space is expected to increase in the coming days, the LDF seems to be sitting comfortable witnessing the struggle between the Congress and the BJP on the ground.  Left fellow travellers admit that while the Congress led UDF has been able to put up stiff opposition in Assembly and even succeeded in putting the government in the dock on several issues, when it came to mobilising the people on the ground the BJP seems to be taking the lead in rallying large number of youth towards its agitations.

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