'Culture Of Bulldozing Thrives': Congress Takes Jibe At BJP Over Section 144 And Gandhi's ED Row

Taking a swipe at the BJP, Congress MP Karti Chidambaram on Monday expressed surprise that the ruling party had "only placed barricades and police" leading to the Congress office ahead of Rahul Gandhi's appearance before the ED, while the bulldozers were "missing". Karti Chidambaram said the bulldozers may have been "requisitioned to demolish the lives and houses" of citizens belonging to the minority faith. Ahead of the proposed march by the Congress leaders, the Delhi Police on Monday imposed section 144 CrPC in the area around party headquarters at Akbar Road here asking them not to violate the law.

Rahul Gandhi has been summoned by the ED in a money laundering case pertaining to the National Herald-AJL case. The ED also summoned Sonia Gandhi in the case on June 23.  "Surprised that the @BJP4India have only placed barricades & police leading to the @INCIndia office, #Bulldozers are missing!" Karti Chidambaram said in a tweet. "Guess all have been requisitioned to demolish the lives & houses of citizens belonging to the minority faith," the Lok Sabha MP said. His remarks come a day after the Prayagraj Development Authority (PDA)  demolished the house of the alleged mastermind of the June 10 violence in Prayagraj amid heavy police deployment.

Sibal takes a jibe
 

A day after authorities demolished an "illegally constructed" house of an accused in the violence in Prayagraj, Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Monday said the "culture of bulldozing thrives" while the law sleeps.

The Prayagraj Development Authority (PDA) on Sunday demolished the house of the alleged mastermind of Friday's violence in Prayagraj amid heavy police deployment.

A day earlier, the properties of two people accused of rioting were demolished in Saharanpur where stone-pelting had taken place as well.

"Prayagraj: The culture of bulldozing thrives while the law SLEEPS," Sibal said in a tweet and added, "Desh badal raha hai (the country is changing)". 

Sibal, who quit the Congress recently, was re-elected to the Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh as an independent backed by the Samajwadi Party.

The building map of the house of the accused, Javed Ahmad, had not been approved by the PDA, according to an official of the agency. The development in Prayagraj came a day after illegal properties of two persons accused of rioting were bulldozed in Saharanpur, which witnessed stone pelting on Friday. Protests against the controversial remarks on Prophet Mohammad made by now-suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma had spun out of control in Prayagraj and some other parts of Uttar Pradesh on June 10.

(With PTI Inputs)