Activists of India Against Corruption (IAC) and a journalist were on Thursday allegedly manhandled in Farrukhabad by some persons while they were conducting a survey on allegations of financial irregularities in the Dr. Zakir Hussain Memorial Trust run by Law Minister Salman Khurshid.
Delhi-based journalist Abhinandan Mishra and members of IAC, led by their local convener Laxman Singh, were allegedly manhandled and stones pelted on them when they were returning from Pitaura, the native place of Mr. Khurshid in the Kayamganj area, sources said.
‘Not his fiefdom’
Even as the Congress on Thursday expressed its disapproval of Mr. Khurshid’s controversial remark daring social activist Arvind Kejriwal to carry out a protest in his Uttar Pradesh parliamentary constituency, Janata Dal (United) leader Sharad Yadav said Farrukhabad was not the Law Minister’s “fiefdom.”While the party on Wednesday sought to downplay Mr. Khurshid’s remark, Congress general secretary Janardhan Dwivedi on Thursday said: “Everyone should choose [their] words carefully.” Congress spokesman Rashid Alvi on Wednesday said he was not aware of the details of Mr. Khurshid’s remark. Mr. Khurshid represents the Farrukhabad Lok Sabha constituency.
Mr. Khurshid had said: “Let them come and visit Farrukhabad. But let him also return from Farrukhabad.”
Opposition parties had also protested against the remark while Mr. Kejriwal said the Congress leader was acting like a “mafia don.”
Criticising Mr. Khurshid for having made such a remark, Mr. Yadav said: “I do not consider appropriate what he said. Farrukhabad is not his fiefdom. It’s a free country. Anybody can go to come back from anywhere.”
“Mr. Khurshid is Law Minister. He should not make such remarks,” said Mr. Yadav.
