Varanasi: High-voltage drama unfolded at the Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth gate on Saturday when Gen-Z cyclists led by National Students’ Union of India president Varun Chaudhary were stopped by police from entering the campus, triggering arguments, slogan-shouting and a confrontation between Congress workers and ABVP supporters.Before they could enter, police deployed at the varsity gate stopped them, citing a lack of permission for the programme. The refusal triggered arguments and slogan-shouting. Meanwhile, ABVP workers also raised slogans from inside. Some Congress workers sat at the gate in protest, while police pushed back youths trying to enter. Tension rose when students inside the campus allegedly threw water pouches and ink at the cyclists.Congress functionaries alleged that police were acting in collusion with the BJP and ABVP to block their campaign. After nearly an hour of confrontation, the yatra left for Banaras Hindu University.The cyclists had reached Varanasi from Chauri Chaura on Saturday as part of their campaign on issues concerning education, jobs and recruitment. The statewide journey will cover 42 districts and end in Lucknow on Oct 2 with a Mahaekta protest.Chaudhary held a meeting near Ambedkar Park, where he and other speakers accused the BJP-led NDA govt of ignoring students and unemployed youth. Chaudhary said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should apologise to young people, adding that Congress MP Rahul Gandhi was raising concerns across social groups.
