Several Opposition MPs of both the Houses on Tuesday marched from the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Parliament to Vijay Chowk, demanding suspension of Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Mishra Teni over Lakhimpur Kheri incident.
Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut, Trinamool Congress MP Dola Sen among others participated in the march. At least 17 political parties joined the protest march including Shiv Sena, TMC, NCP, Congress, DMK and others. Earlier today, the Opposition leaders held a meeting in the Parliament on Tuesday to chalk out the floor strategy for the day. Some of them were seen carrying placards that read "Sack MoS Home". Teni's son Ashish is accused in the Lakhimpur Kheri case and is presently in jail. Rahul Gandhi while addressing the media at Vijay Chowk accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of inaction over the Opposition's demand for Teni's dismissal. "Once again Opposition is raising the Lakhimpur incident. A minister's son killed farmers and report has called it a conspiracy, not an isolated incident. PM doesn't do anything about it. You (PM) apologize (to farmers), but not remove the minister (MoS Home)," Rahul said. Standing firm on the demand to remove MoS Teni, Rahul said, "We will not spare him. Today or tomorrow, he will be sent to jail." Notably, the Opposition's demand for the removal of MoS Home intensified after the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case termed the Lakhimpur violence as "a pre-planned conspiracy". Local farmers had blamed Ajay Kumar Mishra 'Teni' and his son Ashish for the violence that claimed the lives of four farmers and a local journalist among others during a farmers' protest. Allegedly, they were mowed down by a vehicle that was part of the convoy of the minister in Lakhimpur Kheri. Videos were being circulated on social media, where a Mahindra Thar was seen knocking down protesters from behind. The minister and his son have denied the charges. Ashish Mishra and several others have been booked for murder. (ANI)
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