UP Congress chief Nirmal Khatri asks unit to blacken PM Narendra Modi posters

Over 20 Congress workers were booked for defacing PM Narendra Modi's posters in Uttar Pradesh's Hardoi on Monday. They had taken to the streets a day after state Congress chief Nirmal Khatri had called for blackening Modi's hoardings as part of state-wide protests against rising fuel prices and renaming of institutions named after Nehru-Gandhi family members.

Khatri had written a signed letter to local party units asking them to target Modi hoardings at petrol stations. The letter was issued on the UP Congress committee's letterhead and marked to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, her deputy, Rahul Gandhi, and other top functionaries as well.

"This appeared to be the only way to deal with them. If BJP sees burning of PM's effigies and blackening his posters as seditious, we cannot help it," he said.

Khatri, who was present when Congress workers defaced Modi's posters in Lucknow on Sunday, accused the Centre of callousness and insensitivity.

"When the government buys cheap crude oil and pockets crores but lets people suffer, we cannot tolerate the injustice," he responded when asked whether such protests behoved a national party. "As an appeasement measure, the PM has put up his hoardings at all petrol pumps. This too must have cost public money."

Khatri criticised Modi for attempting to "saffronise" government institutions. "What can we say of Modi and his government forcefully changing names of institutions and schemes named after established mass leaders like Nehru, Indira and Rajiv Gandhi? This exposes their agenda."