By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 23 Mar: Congress leaders today took to the streets on the issue of sentence awarded to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and courted arrested over this issue. It may be recalled that in a case related to the ‘controversial remarks’ made by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in 2019 regarding the Modi surname, today a court of Surat pronounced the verdict holding Rahul Gandhi guilty and sentenced him to two years of imprisonment, though he has been granted bail also by the same court.
Uttarakhand Congress workers also demonstrated across the state. Hundreds of workers, including former Chief Minister Harish Rawat, former Uttarakhand Congress MLA Chakrata Pritam Singh, former cabinet minister Navprabhat, Shoorveer Singh Sajwan, protested against the sentence awarded to Rahul Gandhi and expressed solidarity with Rahul Gandhi. After this demonstration which lasted for one and a half hours, as soon as the decision of the court came, the workers got angry and marched on the streets. During the march, an attempt was made by the police to stop the workers by putting up barricades at various places. Slogans were raised by the Congress leaders and workers in support of Rahul Gandhi. The workers were holding placards of Rahul Gandhi Zindabad in their hands. The workers staged a dharna at the Clock Tower for half an hour and also blocked the traffic. During this, while forcibly taking the leaders to the police vehicle by the police administration, there was a fierce scuffle between the workers and the police. Hundreds of leaders and workers were arrested and taken to the police lines where the Congress leaders were court arrested.
Speaking on the occasion, former Chief Minister and CWC member Harish Rawat said that this is the biggest attack of the BJP Government on freedom of expression. Rahul Gandhi has discussed only those things which are going on in the country and what is happening in the politics of the country. Rawat said that the case registered in Surat is old, but fearing the immense success of Rahul Gandhi‘s Bharat Jodo Yatra, the BJP is harassing Rahul Gandhi with a sense of political vendetta and all kinds of cases are being filed against him. Congress workers will not tolerate this. Rawat said that Congress workers will stand with Rahul Gandhi on every occasion, and truth and non-violence are in the culture of Congress workers. If the Modi government of the Bharatiya Janata Party will work to harass the Congress leaders in this undemocratic way, then definitely the Congress workers will run the Jail Bharo movement across the country.
Former state president of Uttarakhand Congress, Pritam Singh said that this incident is very unfortunate and there is no place for such incidents in a democracy. He said that Rahul Gandhi has not spoken for a particular person, but the kind of political developments that have happened in this country in the past years and what is happening in the country, even if it is a matter of lowering India’s prestige abroad. Due to political vendetta, all kinds of cases are being filed against the leaders of the opposition parties, Congress leaders and opposition leaders are being harassed by the ED and Income Tax.
Speaking on the occasion, Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee of PCC, Nav Prabhat said that India is a country of diversity, a vast country and a democratic country. Here the constitution has given everyone the freedom of expression. Today speaking or making allegations against the government has come under the category of crime. If a person speaks against the government, a case is registered against him under all the serious sections at the behest of the central government. A large number of Congress leaders and workers were present on this occasion.
