Four INDIA bloc members to hold protests today in UP over MPs’ suspension

Lucknow, Dec 22: Four members of the INDIA bloc in Uttar Pradesh will hold separate statewide protests on Friday against the suspension of an unprecedented 143 MPs during the winter session of Parliament and Union Home Minister Amit Shah not making a statement on the Parliament security breach.

The four INDIA bloc partners in Uttar Pradesh are the Samajwadi Party, Rashtriya Lok Dal, Congress, and the Apna Dal (K).

The protests in Uttar Pradesh will coincide with a joint protest at the Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on the same day by MPs from all the parties in the INDIA bloc.

The decision for nationwide protest was taken at the fourth meeting of the INDIA bloc in New Delhi on Tuesday. The Delhi protest will be the first joint INDIA action after the parties started coming together in June this year.

Samajwadi Party state president Naresh Uttam Patel issued a circular to all the district outfits in Uttar Pradesh, asking them to protest at all the district headquarters between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. and submit a memorandum, addressed to the President of India, to the respective district magistrates.

Uttar Pradesh Congress vice president (administrative in charge) Dinesh Kumar Singh also issued a letter similar to Patel’s to the Congress cadres in the districts.

The Rashtriya Lok Dal national spokesperson said that his party too will hold the protest. “I suppose the parties in UP are holding the protest as per the call given at the INDIA meet in Delhi.

There were no instructions to the state units to hold the protest jointly but, of course, there will be a joint protest in Delhi on Friday,” an RLD leader said.