MP Congress claims impressive response to protests against Centre

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The Congress on Friday protested across Madhya Pradesh as part of its nationwide stir against the Union government over issues like price rise, hike in the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on essential items and unemployment.

In state capital Bhopal, Congress leaders including MLAs and former state ministers staged a sit-in at Roshanpur intersection around noon.

There was heavy police deployment around the site, and the protesters were not allowed to march to the Raj Bhawan to hand over a memorandum of demands to the Governor.

The police also made frequent announcements warning the protesters of arrest if they scaled the barricades, and arguments and scuffles broke out when some Congress workers tried to climb over, officials said.

Protesters also shouted slogans alleging that the Union government was misusing probe agencies to target opposition leaders in the country.

Congress spokesperson Bhupendra Gupta told PTI that Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Govind Singh, former Union minister Suresh Pachouri, MLAs and former state ministers PC Sharma, Jitu Patwari and Kamleshwar Patel among others took part in the protest here.

The response to the protests was "very impressive" across the state, he claimed.

Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Rajesh Bhadori said the protests passed off peacefully in Bhopal.

Protesters handed over a memorandum of demands to Zone 2 Deputy Commissioner of Police Shraddha Tiwari, he said.