Arvind Kejriwal and his supporters joined a protest march called by an organisation for the differently-abled on Friday against Union law minister Salman Khurshid and his wife Louise, alleging financial bungling by their NGO.
The protesters were detained on Janpath Road and shifted to a makeshift jail in Bawana in north Delhi. They have also announced an indefinite protest till Salman Khurshid is arrested.
The Kejriwal-led India Against Corruption joined the march by members of Rastriya Viklang Party (RVP) from Janpath to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s house on Race Course Road. At least 150 people, including some 70 differently-abled people, were with Kejrwial.
The march started from Janpath but was stopped by police after 100 metres on Rajpath Crossing, citing that they had no permission to hold a protest and that too near the PM’s house. IAC members said they were guest of RVP and were there to support the party, and also expose Khurshid’s misuse of power and his involvement in financial irregularities.
When police stopped them at Rajpath Chowk, they started protesting there itself.
Kejriwal said he had sought time from the PM, but the PMO refused to give appointment to the protesters. “We had asked for permission to meet the Prime Minister but we were denied. Why prime minister has no time to meet common people. We will sit on dharna unless prime minister meets us or Salman Khurshid resigns,” Kejriwal said.
They sat there for almost two hours where Kejriwal said: “A police complaint should be filed immediately against Salman Khurshid and his wife. Khurshid should be removed from the Cabinet till proven innocent. Both are influential person. They can tamper with evidence and pressure witnesses. They should be arrested.”
Kejriwal then announced an indefinite protest following which four reserve battalion of
Delhi Police were called in.
A senior police officer said that only five persons can be taken to PM’s residence to which Kejriwal refused and said: “‘All of us will meet the prime minister’. Police then started boarding protestors one by one in buses.”
The former Income Tax officer with a torn shirt announced: “We will remain in jail and will not come out.”
K K Dixit, president of RVP said: “We have decided to take the protest till the end. Khurshid and his wife’s NGO Dr Zakir Hussain Memmorial Trust had taken Rs 71 lakh to provide viklang cycle rickshaw to differently-abled people in UP’s 16 districts. But the whole money was found to be misused.”