Tension prevailed at the Congress party headquarters at Gandhi Bhavan here  as the party leaders tried to march towards the BJP office as part of its protest over the National Herald Case. 

All India Congress Committee (AICC) ICC in-charge Meenakshi Natrjan, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president Mahesh Kumar Goud and other leaders sat in front of Gandhi Bhavan after police stopped them from marching to the BJP office located on the other side of the road.

A large number of policemen were deployed to prevent any untoward incident in the area in the heart of the city. Police closed the gates of Gandhi Bhavan to stop Congress leaders from coming out of the premises.

Raising slogans against the central government, protesters sat in front of the Congress office, leading to a huge traffic jam on the busy road. Police intervened to detain them and restore vehicular traffic.

The Congress party leaders accused the BJP of misusing the investigative agencies, after a Delhi court refused to take cognisance of the ED’s money laundering charge against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald case.

The protest was organised in response to the call given by the AICC. Mahesh Kumar Goud said that their protest is peaceful. He alleged that the BJP was misusing power to target Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

The TPCC chief said that the Delhi court’s order is a slap in the face of the fascist policies of the central government. “At least now the government should admit its mistake and apologise to the Gandhi family,” he said.

The ruling party in Telangana organised protests at various places in the state, accusing the BJP of misusing Central agencies to target opposition leaders and tarnish the image of the Congress leadership.

Carrying party flags and raising slogans against the BJP-led government at the Centre, the Congress leaders and cadres participated in the rallies in Nalgonda, Warangal, Karimnagar, Nizamabad, Adilabad, Khammam, Mahabubnagar and other places in the state.

Police personnel were deployed in large numbers to prevent any untoward incident.

Meanwhile, tension prevailed near the office of Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay in Karimnagar town as the Congress leaders and workers tried to lay siege to it as part of the protest. Police stopped the protesters near the BJP leader’s office, leading to a tense situation.

The protesters were carrying posters with slogans like ‘Victory to National Herald’ and ‘Victory to Young India’.