As the Congress party continues its attempt to extract maximum political mileage out of the Lakhimpur Kheri incident in UP, a large contingent of Congress leaders and workers led by Punjab Congress Chief Navjot Singh Sidhu arrived in the state to visit the place. However, the contingent along with Sidhu had been detained for a few hours at the Saharanpur border in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday, September 7 by the UP police. The Congress leader, along with a large group of ministers, legislators, and party workers were on his way to Lakhimpur Kheri district when they were stopped by Uttar Pradesh police at Saharanpur.
The police had said that they won’t allow the Congress team to visit Lakhimpur Kheri, and had asked them to return. But later in the evening, there was a reconciliation between the Congress party and the Saharanpur administration and the administration allowed them to go to Lakhimpur Kheri. According to reports, the Saharanpur administration has allowed all the leaders to go in their own vehicles but decided that the UP police vehicles would escort the delegation to Lakhimpur Kheri.
The UP Govt allowed to Punjab Congress @sherryontopp , ministers @RajaBrar_INC @VijayIndrSingla and MLAs for #LakhimpurKheri , meet the Victims. pic.twitter.com/p5ShyzcwJX
— Jagtar Singh Bhullar (@jagtarbhullar) October 7, 2021
Navjot Singh Sidhu, MPs, MLAs and other leaders of the Congress party will visit Lakhimpur Kheri tonight itself.
Navjot Singh Sidhu argues with UP police when stopped from visiting the politically sensitive Lakhimpur Kheri district
In a video shared by news agency ANI, Sidhu was seen arguing with the Uttar Pradesh police when he was stopped and asked to return.
#WATCH Stopped from going to UP’s Lakhimpur Kheri at Yamuna Nagar-Saharanpur, Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu argues with policemen, “You won’t do anything against the Union minister & his son but stop us from sharing the grief of the victim families.” pic.twitter.com/NeHOASCLSA
— ANI (@ANI) October 7, 2021
“You won’ tell anything to the minister and teach us the law. Mishra has been left free, is it his father rule of law? the Congress leader questioned, adding that “We don’t attack from behind”.
“Beat us up, we will faint, die but won’t move back an inch. If UP police can leave Mos Mishra free even after murder then we can be left free as well,” Sidhu reportedly told the UP police, after which he along with other Congress leaders were detained and taken to Sarsawa Police Station.
Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu had threatened to march towards Lakhimpur Kheri if Union minister Ajay Mishra Teni’s son is not arrested and Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is not released from detention.
How Congress using Lakhimpur Kheri tragedy in the run-up to the UP assembly elections
Notably, following the Lakhimpur Kheri incident, many Congress leaders including Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, have hurried to the area to earn political mileage out of the incident. The Uttar Pradesh police were forced to detain the Gandhi scion on Monday for defying prohibitory orders to visit Lakhimpur Kheri.
Here it becomes important to understand that whenever a politically sensitive situation as the one in Lakhimpur Kheri arises, it becomes the state administration’s responsibility to ensure the law and order situation is maintained. Therefore, it is understandable why when Priyanka Gandhi Vadra refused to pay heed to the police’s request and stay back from visiting the violence-hit area, and instead threatened the UP police of accusing them of molestation, it left the latter with no option but to detain her.
While members of the Congress party are attempting to exploit their leader’s detention as yet another political gimmick, it is important to remember how Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has been milking the situation in the run-up to the UP assembly elections in order to kickstart her political career once again.
Besides being seen sweeping her room with a broom in her hand while in detention, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had also accused the Uttar Pradesh government of ‘monitoring’ her move through drones.
