Sonia Gandhi to lead 'Loktantra Bachaao Yatra', BJP to counter protest

A day after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is said to have established the genuineness of the sting operation CD which shows ousted chief minister Harish Rawat negotiating a price with a journalist to buy the support of the legislators, Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Friday will lead the 'Loktantra Bachaao Yatra' march against Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) move in Uttarakhand.

The Congress president will lead the march from Jantar Mantar to Parliament.

Meanwhile, the BJP members to counter the Congress will sit in a protest against corruption of the grand old party near the Gandhi Statute here.

Rawat, yesterday accused the Centre of misusing the investigating agency to tamper the floor test.

In a separate development, the Centre will apprise the Supreme Court today about the feasibility of holding a floor test in the Uttarakhand Assembly under the court's supervision.

The apex court on Wednesday had granted the Centre two days time to respond, which came after Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi told the court that he is yet to receive instructions from the central government.

According to sources, the CBI has been able to establish the genuineness of the sting operation after it spoke to one MLA who stated that when the Finance Bill was discussed in the assembly, Rawat called him in the office and offered him Rs.2.3 crore and an important post in the government

Rawat recently admitted to having met the journalist, but denied any wrongdoing.

The investigating agency had registered a preliminary enquiry in the matter last week.

The Union Home Ministry had sent a CD of the video to a forensics laboratory in Chandigarh to have it authenticated.