Congress workers continued their protest against Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on the second day on Monday by releasing thousands of black balloons in Hazratganj area against the attack on north Indians in that state.

Police detained several Congress leaders and workers for their protest on Monday after they saw thousands of black balloons in the air when Rupani came out of the VVIP Guest House to go to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister’s residence for a meeting with Yogi Adityanath.

Later, the Congress workers staged dharna at the police station where they were kept.

On Sunday also, the Lucknow police had a hard time in controlling Congressmen in the state capital when they showed black flags to the Gujarat Chief Minister.

Around a dozen Congressmen were detained by the police in Hazratganj area for the protest and they were released on Monday evening.

The Congress leaders also staged a demonstration at the GPO for some time, raising slogans against the Gujarat Chief Minister. They shouted “Rupani go back” to protest the attacks on north Indians in his state.

UP Congress general secretary Vinod Mishra said here on Monday that the party workers were protesting against the Gujarat government over the attacks on north Indians.

“We will continue our protest till the people of north India in Gujarat are not only secure but also start working there smoothly,” he said.

Meanwhile, UP Congress president Raj Babbar claimed that Rupani’s visit to Lucknow, at the time when north Indians were being targeted in his state, was like rubbing salt into the wounds. “This is also against the ideology of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel whose massive statue is being unveiled in Gujarat later this month,” Babbar said, while attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other Bharatiya Janata Party leaders for creating differences between people on caste and religion lines.

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani was in the state capital on a two-day visit since Sunday to meet his UP counterpart Yogi Adityanath and invite him for the function to unveil the Statue of Unity of Sadar Vallabhbhai Patel on October 31.

He faced protests as Hindi-speaking migrants from north Indian states were attacked in several parts of Gujarat after a labourer hailing from Bihar was arrested for allegedly raping a 14-month-old girl in Sabarkantha district on September 28.