Ghulam Nabi Azad opts out of contest from prestigious Anantnag LS seat
This would have been the first election from his own party that Azad would have fought after quitting the Congress.
Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad on Monday condemned the damage to a statue of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in Mirzapur, and demanded that the Uttar Pradesh conduct an inquiry in a time-bound manner.
"We strongly condemn the damage to the statue. This act has hurt the sentiments of millions of people, including Congressmen, in the country because of their love and respect for the late leader," the Congress General Secretary in charge of party's Uttar Pradesh affairs said.
The statue installed in Katra area of Mirzapur district was found damaged on Sunday, after which the Congress state unit called for a statewide protest on Monday.
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"The Bharatiya Janata Party government should immediately conduct an inquiry into the incident in a time-bound manner so as to punish the guilty," said Azad.
He said anti-social elements had become active in the last few months because of the state government's inaction, which led to deterioration in law and order in the northern state.
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