Poonia, deputy leader of opposition Rajendra Rathore, MP Ghanshyam Tiwari and many other took part in the demonstration.
After the demonstration that lasted for about two-and-a-half hours, the BJP leaders and workers, including Poonia, courted arrest. Later they were released from the Vidyadhar Nagar police station.
However, during the protest, factionalism within the BJP once again came to the with supporters of Rajya Sabha MP Kirodi Lal Meena raised ‘Satish Poonia Hai Hai’ slogan, which was countered by the Poonia camp that chanted ‘Poonia Zindabad’.
Meena’s supporters are unhappy that the state BJP did not support their protest supporting the widows of Pulwama martyrs strongly.
The wives of Pulwama martyrs — Manju Jat, Sundari Devi, Madhubala Meena — were protesting outside Congress leader Sachin Pilot’s residence for the past one week. However, the police forcefully removed them the protest site at 3 a.m. on Thursday and took them to their village in an ambulance.
The next day, Meena was stopped when he was going to meet the three women. As his health condition deteriorated, Meena was admitted to the hospital.
Manju Jat and Sundari Devi are demanding government jobs for their respective brother-in-law, but the government’s argument is that there is no provision to give a government job to such a kin.
Madhubala is demanding that his husband’s statue be installed at the Sangod Square in Kota.
The widows of the Pulwama martyrs are also demanding action against the policemen who ‘misbehaved’ with them.