New Delhi, Aug. 22: Roses in hand and slogans on lips, protesters reached the gates of Congress stalwarts such as Pranab Mukherjee, Kapil Sibal and chief minister Sheila Dikshit today.

The Congress claimed that many of the campaigners, responding to Anna Hazare’s call for a siege of Lutyens Delhi from today, were BJP workers.

Early in the morning, a crowd shouted slogans in front of Mukherjee’s bungalow, asking him to wake up, till police told them he was in Bengal.

Around 11.45am, about 500 protesters arrived at Dikshit’s residence, and could be contained only after the police had detained several of them. The crowd shouted slogans accusing Dikshit of involvement in the Commonwealth Games scam.

Police personnel who tackled the protests carried no canes or batons: they had been ordered not to arrest or hurt anyone even if provoked.

In the afternoon, Tricolour-waving protesters stomped around the Lutyens Bungalow Zone, planting roses on Congress MPs’ nameplates.

Outside Mukherjee’s home, the police asked people to leave the roses on the hedges lining the road.

“It is an Indian tradition to fold our hands and offer flowers, even to enemies,” said Anita Bhatia, a retired schoolteacher who came with a rose to persuade Mukherjee to agree to Hazare’s demands.

She said she was at Ramdev’s rally too and had broken her toe during the police action. “This time the police have been very kind. They said they would not harm us.”

Bhatia, who claimed to be a former NCC member, argued that all the wars India had fought had been triggered by corruption.

Opposite the upscale Khan Market, Congress MP Rao Inderjit Singh’s home was under siege from men in orange turbans who came in tractors, trailed by banana-laden trucks. The sloganeering went on for 15 minutes before the crowd left for Ramlila Maidan.

As the protesters went from door to door looking for possible targets, Congress spokesperson Manish Tiwari’s home had a lucky escape because its gates carry no nameplate.

“A dozen guys wearing Anna caps came on motorcycles but they could not find his residence. We intentionally misled them,” said Prabhu Ram, a guard posted outside Tiwari’s home.

West Delhi MP Mahabal Mishra, whose home was surrounded, alleged: “The protesters were BJP supporters from my constituency.”

All police stations have been put on alert. Large police teams are guarding the homes of Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Vadra.