Uttar Pradesh Congress seeks ban on Shiv Sena

Expressing serious concern over rise in Shiv Sena activities in Uttar Pradesh, the state unit of Congress today demanded a ban on the Bal Thackeray's party.

Raising the issue of Shiv Sena activists attacking Congress workers in Muzaffarnagar yesterday in the assembly, leader of Congress legislative party Pramod Tiwari said that peaceful party workers protesting at the Prakash Chowk were attacked by Shiv Sena activists raising pro-Thackeray slogans.

Some of the Congress workers were injured and had to be admitted to hospital, Tiwari said adding that the police remained a mute spectator to all this anarchy.

He also demanded a stern action against the organisation including a ban but the Speaker Sukhdev Rajbhar rejected the notice prompting the Congress members to stage a walkout.

On a separate issue, the RLD members also staged a walkout expressing dissatisfaction over the reply by parliamentary affairs minister Lalji Verma over their notice on reorganisation of the state.

Kokab Hamid (RLD) said the demand is long pending and asked the government to get the proposal passed as was done earlier in the case of Uttarakhand by the House as "nothing would be achieved merely by writing letters". Verma in his reply said an initiative in this regard has to be taken by the Centre.