Date:10/08/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/08/10/stories/2007081056301200.htm

National

Statewide agitation by BJP

Special Correspondent

MUMBAI: About four lakh Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers all over Maharashtra, including prominent leaders like Gopinath Munde and Nitin Gadkari, courted arrest on Thursday as part of a campaign against the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) coalition government’s inefficiency.

Launched on the 65th anniversary of the Quit India movement, the BJP called on the coalition government to quit. In Mumbai at Azad Maidan, BJP workers were lathi charged and there was some stone throwing too.

Party State vice-president Kirit Somaiya and others were injured in the lathi charge and admitted to hospital.

Before he courted arrest along with several party workers, Mr. Munde, national general secretary, made several promises if his party came to power in the 2009 Assembly elections. Mr. Munde promised 20 lakh houses for the poor.