Sonia leads Congress rally against intolerance

The march comes after Mrs Gandhi met President Pranab Mukherjee on Monday evening for a one-on-one meeting. The Congress is expected to submit a memorandum to the President urging him to use his Constitutional powers to ensure an end to the “the atmosphere of intolerance, intemperate behaviour, violence and communal polarisation,” say Congress sources. The Delhi Police, meanwhile, informed the Congress it would allow only 125 people to participate in the march. The stretch that the party intends to march on, from Parliament to the President’s House, is under prohibitory orders, disallowing assembly of more than 10 people.

On Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hit out at the Congress in an election rally in Bihar, countering the charge of rising intolerance under his regime by invoking the 1984 violence. The Congress hit back, charging PM Modi with being “an endorser of intolerance by his studied silence.” Referring to the 2002 riots in Gujarat, Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma said: “Like in 2002, Modi has forgotten Raj Dharma in 2015.” President Mukherjee had last month spoken on at least three different occasions, emphasising the need for preserving pluralism, tolerance and multiplicity. 

With inputs from agencies