Congress workers waved black flags and tried to enter the venue where Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Prakash Karat and CPI leader D Raja were addressing the meeting. The Ratnagiri police resorted to lathi-charge and detained 11 Congress workers.
“Karat has come here to disturb the peace in Ratnagiri. Outsiders are coming here and are spoiling the city’s peace. We will not let this happen,” said Sameer Zari, president, Youth Congress, Ratnagiri.
Superintendent of police Pradeep Raskar said, “The Congress workers agitated against the presence of activist Vaishali Patil at the meeting but not the Left party leaders. We had to resort to lathicharge and take some people in custody.”
Condemning the Congress party, Kiran Moghe, state committee member of CPI (M) said, “Will the Congress activists say the same thing about Rahul Gandhi, when he went for a padyatra in UP? The Left parties have said that the project should be re-scrutinised, especially after Fukushima.”
Karat and Raja visited the site of the proposed plant and met family members of Tabrez Sayekar, who was killed in a police firing during a protest in April, and offered their condolences.