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BJP workers vandalise Cong’s Mumbai office

Dec 20, 2024 08:40 AM IST

Members of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYUM) smeared pictures of senior Congress leaders with black ink, smashed window panes, wrecked furniture

MUMBAI: The Mumbai Congress office at Azad Maidan in South Mumbai was vandalised by the youth wing of the Mumbai BJP on Thursday evening amid a standoff between the Congress, its allies and the BJP in Delhi.

The BJP workers who stormed the Congress office allege that the Congress has insulted Dr Ambedkar. (Bhushan Koyande/HT Photo)
The BJP workers who stormed the Congress office allege that the Congress has insulted Dr Ambedkar. (Bhushan Koyande/HT Photo)

Members of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYUM) ran amuck, smearing pictures of senior Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge with black ink. They smashed window panes, wrecked furniture and even stuffed liquor bottles inside the premises. Around 10 to 15 Congress staffers were in the office when the attack took place and police resorted to a lathi charge to bring the situation under control.

The attack took place in the wake of a remark made by Union home minister Amit Shah in parliament on Tuesday, that it has become a “fashion” to take the name of Dalit leader and principal architect of the Constitution, Dr B R Ambedkar. If people take the name of god as often as they do Dr Ambedkar’s name, they would get a place in heaven in seven births, he had said in parliament.

The BJP workers who stormed the Congress office allege that the Congress has, in fact, insulted Dr Ambedkar, while the Congress claims the BJP wants to divert attention from Shah’s derogatory remarks.

An employee of the Mumbai Congress Sarika Jadhav said, “The incident took place at 5 pm. When we saw them, we shut the main doors, so they could not enter. But they smashed the glass panes. We informed the police and they came immediately.’’

Another staffer, Nalini Pendharkar, said they were taken completely by surprise. “The BJP tried to break down the door. We have informed Mumbai Congress chief Varsha Gaikwad,” she said.

Mumbai Congress chief and MP Varsha Gaikwad said, “We have protested peacefully on issues such as Adani. Amit Shah should have apologised. Some of our workers are injured. What is the state government doing?”

Congress leader and MLA Vijay Wadettiwar said, “We have protested peacefully so far. Is this how the BJP upholds the Constitution, by attacking the Congress office? When Babasaheb Ambedkar is attacked, the people will not remain silent. He is a godly figure for us. The BJP is only flexing their muscle because of their large numbers.’’

Mumbai BJP youth wing chief Tajinder Tiwana claimed, “The Congress has repeatedly insulted Babasaheb Ambedkar. We wanted to give them a warning. They threw stones at us from the terrace. One of our workers was hit. The police conducted a lathi charge, grievously injuring a dozen of our workers. I have fractured my hand.”

The Mumbai police detained several BJP workers and registered a First Information Report against them. Inside the Azad Maidan police station too, Congress and BJP workers engaged in heated arguments and they had to be escorted to separate corners of the premises.

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