Senior Congress leader Dheeraj Gurjar condemns arrest od

 Senior Congress leader and co-incharge of Uttar Pradesh Dheeraj Gurjar on Wednesday came to the defence of UP Congress chief Ajay Kumar Lallu, terming his arrest as political ill-will. He said that an elected MLA is in jail under Indian Penal Code section 420 (cheating) and asked whether the UP Assembly speaker was informed about the arrest? "It is political ill-will (raajnaitik durbhaavnaa). On one hand the UP chief minister says that infected people have come to the state, and on the other hand, there is a leader who wants to serve the people. "But, the arrest of Lalluji is sending a message that the BJP is misusing the government machinery and wants to stop the Congress from helping the people in need," Gurjar told PTI.

He said Lallu understood the plight of the labourers as he hailed from a poor family. Gurjar's statement came a day after Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra defended Lallu who was arrested in a case of cheating and forgery. Her remarks came ahead of Lallu's bail plea hearing which according to UP Congress media coordinator Lalan Kumar will take place on Thursday. Asserting that the BJP leaders are afraid of Priyanka Gandhi, Gurjar said, "There is a fear of Priyanka Gandhi in the BJP leaders. Yogi (Adityanath) has completely failed as far as administration is concerned.

"They know that the charismatic leadership of Priyanka Gandhi is not only infusing enthusiasm among the Congress workers, but also among the public. The way in which she is championing the cause of the poor, it is prompting the BJP to opt for various political means (rajniyik hathkande) to save their losing ground and to weaken the Congress party," he said. "This includes direct attack by the BJP or indirect attack by the BSP (Mayawati). This is only a move by them to save their losing political ground. This is an organised attack by them," Gurjar, who is also the national secretary of the Congress, said.

Launching an attack on the BSP, he said, "BSP is the B-team of BJP, and today people have started feeling it. Mayawati has become the undeclared spokesperson of the BJP. The Congress has been out of power in the state for last 30 years, despite that we are serving the people especially during crisis. Leaders of other parties do not want to do so. Have you seen Yogi Adityanath, Mayawati or Akhilesh Yadav among the people during these crisis? Only the Congress is there."

The senior Congress leader also said that BSP is B-team of the BJP, and they have made a background to have an alliance (of BJP and BSP) for the coming UP Assembly elections.

Referring to UP chief minister's recent comments in which he reportedly claimed that a large number of workers returning from other states are infected with coronavirus, Gurjar said, "When migrants (mostly the Dalits, maha-Dalits, OBCs and Most Backward Classes) return to their villages, do you think that people who exercise clout in the native villages of these migrant workers will allow them to come out of their homes? This will in fact trigger a social war."

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday had asked UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to explain the basis of the statement in which he has reportedly claimed that a large number of workers returning from other states are infected with coronavirus.

Gurjar who rode a scooty on which Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has travelled in Lucknow in December 2019 during anti-CAA protests, said, "Our history has been that of struggles. Our party's history has been that of getting independence for the country, the history of Gandhi family has been to sacrifice its life for the country. Our leaders, workers are not going to relent even if cases and FIRs are registered against us. If they think that by registering cases they will weaken us, then I think we will emerge stronger than before. Congress is not going to stop, bow down or feel afraid.