Congress to hoist tricolour in 272 places in Delhi: Anil Kumar

New Delhi: Delhi Congress chief Chaudhary Anil Kumar said on Friday that party workers will hold flag-hoisting at 272 locations across the national capital, including the DPCC office, to mark the Independence Day on August 15 even if they were to be booked by police.

"The Congress workers will peacefully defy the threatening and arm-twisting tactics of the Modi government and exercise their fundamental right to hoist the National Flag. This will be done across Delhi by thousands of Congress workers, strictly adhering to the coronavirus pandemic guidelines, including social distancing and wearing of face masks, he said in a statement.

"The Congress workers will defy authorities to hoist the national flag, despite the fact that Delhi Police had filed FIRs against senior party leaders, including me and ex-MP Jai Prakash Agarwal," the Delhi Congress President said.

The Congress alleged that Delhi Police registered an FIR on August 9 for hoisting of a flag at Hauz Qazi to commemorate the 'Quit India' movement, which the party had been doing for the last 78 years.

The Congress leader said that the party supporters have a glorious history of braving the blows from batons of the British Raj police and arrests to get freedom for the country, adding that the party leaders and workers will not be cowed down by arrest threats and FIRs from the Delhi Police on the Independence Day.

He said that it was indeed "very sad and disturbing" that in a free country, the Modi government is "behaving like the British rulers".

"The history of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Jana Sangh has been one of collusion with the British and betraying the great freedom fighters of the country like Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, and Sardar Patel etc," Anil Kumar alleged.