Detention of Rahul Gandhi an ‘undeclared emergency’: Congress

New Delhi [India], Nov. 3 : Describing the detention of their vice-president Rahul Gandhi and other political leaders by the police as an act of 'undeclared emergency', the Congress Party on Thursday said it was the 'darkest night of democracy'.

"Former chief minister Sheila Dikshit was arrested, Chief Minister of Delhi was arrested, and the Deputy Chief Minister was arrested and if this is not undeclared emergency that what is?," asked Congress leader Tom Vadakkan.

Talking to ANI, Vadakkan said yesterday was the darkest night of democracy as an undeclared emergency was seen.

"Vice-president Rahul Gandhi was arrested twice and for what? To convey his condolence to the grieved family, he was stopped and the family members were manhandled in the hospital, in the parking lot they were moved out of the spot by the rattled Bharatiya Janata Party government," he added.

Gandhi was detained by the Delhi Police for trying to meet the family members of an ex-serviceman Ram Kishan Grewal, who allegedly committed suicide over delays in implementation of the one rank one pension scheme for the armed forces.

High drama unfolded in Lutyens' Delhi with both Congress and AAP workers staging protests over the alleged highhandedness of the government.

The senior Congress leader alleged that the Modi government is curbing the voices that are being raised against his regime, and warned that the latter risked facing heavy repercussions.

Angry at being detained by Delhi Police, Gandhi took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "Let's see how long I have to wait here. I am certain that I will talk to the family. This is a strange behaviour. This is Modi's ji's country," Gandhi told ANI here. Gandhi being detained twice by the Delhi police amid high drama and the movement of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal restricted snowballed the protest.

Several leaders of Congress and AAP including Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia were also held by the police even as Rahul and Kejriwal tore into Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Source: ANI