Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday defended the right to peaceful protests, saying people were free to agitate against Congress-led governments and their policies, as long as demonstrations remained within the law.Her remarks came a day after Kerala Police removed the hunger strike tent of Lower Primary School Teacher (LPST) rank-holders protesting outside the secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram and arrested their leader Valarmathi.Responding to questions about the police action, Priyanka said the right to protest was guaranteed by the Constitution and should be respected in a democracy.“My take across India and the world is that people have the right to protest. In democracies, especially, they are given this right by the Constitution. I think people should be allowed to exercise their constitutional right,” news agency PTI quoted her as saying.However, she said police intervention could be justified if demonstrations turned violent or posed a threat to people’s safety.
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“But as long as the protest, even if it is against our government in the state or our policies, is peaceful it should be allowed to continue,” she said.The LPST rank-holders have been protesting for more than four months, demanding that the Kerala Public Service Commission make appointments to government schools from the existing rank list before its validity expires.On Wednesday night, police removed their protest tent outside the secretariat and arrested Valarmathi. She was subsequently shifted to hospital after her health condition deteriorated.
