Govt. must go, says Cong.

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, MARCH 25. Seeking the resignation of the ``corrupt'' Bharatiya Janata Party-led Central Government and the arrest of those involved in the defence deal scam, the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) organised a rally to observe ``Dhikkar Divas'' here today.

The rally started from Ajmal Khan Park and passed through Ajmal Khan Road and Pusa Road before terminating at Link Road where effigies of the Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, the former Defence Minister, Mr. George Fernandes, the former BJP president, Mr. Bangaru Laxman, and the former Samata Party president, Ms. Jaya Jaitly, were burnt.

Addressing the gathering, Mr. Kamal Nath, AICC general secretary who organised the rally, said the ``corrupt'' BJP-led Government had lost all moral right to rule after its involvement in the defence scam as was exposed by tehelka.com. It had lost the confidence of the people and, therefore, had no right to continue in power.

The fact that the Vajpayee Government was continuing in power despite losing the faith of the people, had prompted the Congress to observe ``Dhikkar Divas'', said Mr. Kamal Nath. The Government would have to go as its promise of providing a clean and efficient administration had proved to be a hollow claim.

The DPCC president, Mr. Subhash Chopra, said the Mr. Fernandes' resignation was an attempt to divert the people's attention. Democracy could be saved only if the Vajpayee Government went, he stated.

Senior AICC leaders including Mr. Moti Lal Vora, Mr. Oscar Fernandes, Mr. Ahmed Patel, Mr. Janardan Pujari, Mr. R. K. Dhawan, Mr. Jagdish Tytler and Mr. Sajjan Kumar decried the BJP- led Government, and described its continuance in power as a throttling of the democratic set-up.

The rally route was decorated with Congress festoons, banners and flags and the milling crowd shouted anti-government slogans: `Naitikta se muh na moro, Atal Behari gaddi chhoro' (Don't turn your face on honesty, Atal Behari quit your seat) and `Sonia Gandhi ka ailan, bikne na de Hindustan' (Sonia Gandhi's cry, don't barter away the country).

Several MLAs, Municipal Councillors, Mahila Congress, Youth Congress, NSUI and Seva Dal workers and district as well as block Congress workers came in vehicles decorated with party flags and banners and bearing anti-Government slogans. A large number of floats depicting Mr. Laxman and Ms. Jaitly accepting bribes were also displayed.

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