Youth Congress activists protest against government's 'anti-farmer' policies

NEW DELHI: Youth Congress activists today staged a demonstration against the " anti-farmer" policies of the Narendra Modi government and courted arrest when they were stopped from heading to Parliament by the police.

The stir was interrupted for about 30 minutes as a man climbed up a tree and shouted from there incoherently. He was later forcibly brought down by the activists and police.

The demonstrators including farmers marched from the Indian Youth Congress office, carrying stacks of wheat straw and raising slogans against the Narendra Modi government.

They were stopped by the police near Parliament Street police station where the demonstrators including Youth Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Brar and Randip Singh Surjewala sat on the road. The demonstrators also burnt a stack of wheat straw as a mark of protest.

Congress MP KC Venugopal, who was given a memorandum of Youth Congress said, "I have been sent by Soniaji and Mallikarjun Kharge to express strong support to Youth Congress and we will raise their voice in the House."

"When Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi raised these issues, the Prime Minister only offered big talk", he said.

He claimed that four farmers had committed suicide in Dausa and Alwar in Rajasthan even as the demonstration was being held.

The demonstrators later courted arrest when they headed towards Parliament in violation of prohibitory orders imposed in the area.