Row Over Restrictions on Congress Rally in Mhow

Bhopal: A row on Saturday erupted over the restrictions on the political speech at the ‘Save Constitution’ rally of Congress, scheduled to be organized at Mhow in Indore district of Madhya Pradesh on January 27, by the local administration with the party terming it ‘undemocratic’.

The sub divisional magistrate (SDM), Mhow, has put eight conditions while granting permission to the Congress to hold the party event.

Mhow is the birthplace of Dr B R Ambedkar.

One of the conditions has barred the party leaders attending the event from making political speeches or comments against any religion.

The order dated January 23 has clearly mentioned that the organizers should ensure that no political speeches or any comment against religion is made at the party programme.

AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi have already given their consent to attend the meeting, Congress sources said.

Congress on Saturday cried foul over the restrictions imposed on political speeches at the event, alleging that the local administration was behaving as sycophant of the BJP while barring political speeches at the Congress event.

“It is unbelievable that the administration could stop the Congress leaders from putting forth their views before the public on various issues. I dare the SDM to stop the Congress leaders from making political speeches”, K K Mishra, media advisor to PCC president Jitu Patwari, said.

The BJP has however launched a counter-attack, saying that the grand old party never believed in the constitution or respected the law and always considered itself above the constitution and the law.

The Congress should reflect on how it humiliated Dr Ambedkar repeatedly in the past, BJP spokesman here Rajneesh Agrawal said.

He also dared Congress to move the court to challenge the order, saying that the administration has done what it considered it should do under the law.