Ahmed Patel condemns arrest of UP Cong President; says 'underlines grim situation in UP'

Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel on Sunday condemned the arrest of Uttar Pradesh Congress President Ajay Kumar Lallu for protesting over the issue of movement of buses arranged by Congress for migrant workers. Taking to Twitter, he said that they are providing all the legal assistance to Lallu in order to ensure his early release. According to Patel, the arrest underlines the "grim situation" in the state.  

On May 20, a Lucknow court sent the UP Congress President to 14-day judicial custody after he was arrested. He will be lodged in a temporary jail. Meanwhile, an FIR was also filed against Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's personal secretary Sandeep Singh and Ajay Kumar Lallu in Hazratganj Police station of Lucknow on Tuesday. The police had removed UP Congress chief from the Agra-Rajasthan border in Uncha Nangla area where he staged a sit-in protest demanding that buses arranged to ferry back migrants to their homes, be allowed to enter the state.

Read: Yogi govt bans use of mobile phones by patients in isolation wards to contain Covid spread

Priyanka Vadra Alleges Buses Blocked At UP Border

Last Sunday, a Rajasthan cabinet minister claimed that the state government had kept 500 private buses ready to ferry migrant workers to Uttar Pradesh but they were not allowed to enter by the Yogi Adityanath government. Vishvendra Singh, Minister for Tourism and Devasthan, Rajasthan said the buses were stopped at Bahej village on the Uttar Pradesh-Rajasthan border for almost the entire day. Later, the buses were asked to return to Rajasthan, amid the Priyanka Vadra-UP government political row over buses.

Read: Ahmed Patel alleges 'UP govt opposing Congress over buses as it wants to help migrants'

Later, Vadra on Tuesday also claimed that the UP administration had blocked more than 500 buses for several hours at the Uncha Nagla border. In the video posted by her, state Congress chief Ajay Singh Lallu and other party officials are seen talking to UP police officials demanding the buses to be allowed entry into the state. She also requested the Uttar Pradesh government to allow 897 buses arranged by her party to run. 

On May 16, Priyanka Vadra wrote to UP CM Yogi Adityanath, urging him to permit the Congress party to run 1,000 buses to ferry migrant workers back to their native place. The UP administration accepted this request on Monday, asking the opposition party to send the buses to Lucknow by 10 am on Tuesday. 

Read: UP Congress President Ajay Lallu sent to 14-day judicial custody over migrant bus row

Read: Asked for Rs 36 lakh, UP gave 19 lakh: Rajasthan govt complains over Kota students' buses