Watch video: Priyanka Gandhi dragged away by police amid protests on price rise, unemployment

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Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was detained by police today. She sat in a protest with other leaders and workers of the party outside the party headquarters in Delhi. The party has called for a nation-wide protest today over multitude of issues including inflation and unemployment.

Several Congress leaders including Rahul Gandhi and Shashi Tharoor were detained by police during a protest against the Union government on price rise and unemployment.

Rahul Gandhi alleged that party MPs were detained and also beaten. He said, “All Congress MPs were marching towards Rashtrapati Bhawan to raise the issue of inflation & price rise but they are not allowing us to go ahead from here. Our job is to raise the issues of the people. Some MPs were detained and also beaten.”

Congress interim president & MP Sonia Gandhi led the protest of party MPs against inflation and unemployment, in Parliament. Visuals showed the leaders clad in black holding placards and banners in which they demanded the withdrawal of GST on food products.

Speaking to the media, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, said, “Inflation has risen beyond the limit; the government will have to do something about it. This is why we’re fighting.”

Meanwhile, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram, speaking about the protests said, “This protest is about price rise and Agnipath. Price rise affects everybody. As a political party and as elected representatives we are bound to voice the grievances the burdens and the fears of the people. This is what we are doing.”

The protests come after they have been trying to discuss these issues in the Parliament’s monsoon session.

The visuals from the protest show the party workers sloganeering against the price hike, unemployment and other issues. They were seen holding banners and climbing on barricades placed outside the party headquarters.

The workers to register their protest against inflation, GST hike made rotis on the road. The women wing of the party were seen sitting in the middle of the road and making rotis and cooking vegetables.

Delhi Police have imposed Section 144 of the CrPC in the New Delhi district except Jantar Mantar, ahead of the Congress party’s call for nationwide protests against inflation and unemployment.

The police said that protest/dharna/ gherao in the area of New Delhi district on August 5 cannot be permitted in view of security, law, and order, and traffic reasons.

Senior Congress leader Ajay Maken earlier this week said that they had received a letter from the DCP that they can’t protest on August 5 and the AICC (All India Congress) was turned into a Police cantonment.

“The government may suppress us as much as they want but we’ll protest against inflation, unemployment, GST on edible items and go ahead with our schedule even if jailed,” he said.

Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge meanwhile sparred with Leader of the House Piyush Goyal on Thursday over ED summons issued to the Congress leaders.

While Kharge accused the Union government of trying to demoralise and intimidate the Opposition, Goyal responded by claiming that the government does not interfere in the functioning of law-enforcement agencies.