Congress, BJP activists come to blows in brawl over protest

Hyderabad: Tension prevailed in front of the BJP State office on Tuesday, after the protest programme by Youth Congress turned violent. The scuffle between workers of both parties resulted in head injury to one of the BJP workers.

The attempt by a group of the Youth Congress workers to lay siege was foiled by the police, as they were protesting against the BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri’s remarks against Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi. However, some of the activists evading the security cover tried to barge into the office and clashed with BJP workers. As the clash broke out, the Congress workers allegedly hurled eggs towards BJP workers. In retaliation, the BJP workers came out holding sticks. During the melee, a Dalit Morcha worker of the BJP sustained head injuries. The BJP alleged that the attack was a failure of the police, even as the police detained scores of activists and cases were also booked.

The spontaneous protest programme interestingly did not have the mandate of the PCC top brass and has invited widespread criticism for the way it was handled by the Youth Congress leaders. PCC president B Mahesh Kumar Goud has warned the party’s youth wing leaders against attempts to lay siege to the BJP’s State headquarters in the City. While condemning the attack on Youth Congress activists by BJP workers during a protest programme, he also urged that protests be conducted peacefully and to avoid any possible physical clash.