Union Minister Danve Says Rahul Gandhi Fell Down Due to Crowd in UP, Was Not Pushed by Police

Union minister Raosaheb Danve on Friday said it was not true that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was pushed by the police in Uttar Pradesh when he was on his way to meet the family of Hathras victim as he fell down due to the jostling crowd. The BJP leader was speaking to reporters outside hisresidence here.

"It is not true that the police pushed the Congress leader. He fell down due to the jostling mob," Danve said. "Visuals on television and social media showed that Gandhi must have fallen down due to themob not because of the police," the Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution added.

Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were on Thursday detained by the Uttar Pradesh police after they were stopped on the Yamuna Expressway in Greater Noida while walking towards Hathras to meet the victim's family. Rahul Gandhi fell down in the scuffle after police tried to stop him and his supporters from proceeding on theYamuna Expressway. Pictures of the incident were shared by the party, which accused the police of manhandling the leader.

The Shiv Sena and the NCP, which share power with the Congress in Maharashtra, also criticised the UP police over the alleged manhandling. Replying to a question on Maratha quota, Danve said the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government failed in effectively defending the Maratha reservation before the Supreme Court.

"They made head of cabinet sub-committee on Maratha reservation Ashok Chavan a scapegoat over the issue," he alleged. "If Tamil Nadu can breach the 50 per cent ceiling on reservation, why can't Maharashtra? Reservation in Tamil Nadu is 69 per cent, while Maharashtra got a stay over it," he said.

Maratha Kranti Morcha, which is spearheading the movement for quota to the community, staged a protest outside Danve's residence on Friday.