Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 23 Sep: Former BJP state president and senior legislator Banshidhar Bhagat today strongly criticised Congress leaders over recent incidents in Kichha and Haldwani, accusing them of indulging in politics of anarchy under the guise of opposition. He said that while democracy grants the right to protest, no one has the licence to spread disorder, intimidate police and administration or cast aspersions on the electoral process.
Bhagat claimed that a dharna staged by a Congress MLA from Kichha (Tilak Raj Behad) outside the strong room in Kichha with supporters is neither within rules nor permitted. If there are objections regarding curtains or arrangements, they ought to have been raised before the election officials with evidence and CCTV footage. Instead, levelling baseless allegations of ballot box tampering reflected Congress’s desperation. He questioned whether Congress leaders consider themselves above the law and electoral procedure.
Referring to past controversies, Bhagat recalled that Tilak Raj Behad had faced similar allegations during the Ramleela Maidan incident in 2011, and in January 2026 police investigations revealed that the attack on Saurabh Behad was self‑sponsored. He accused Congress of maintaining silence when its own leaders were involved in disputes, yet politicising every other incident to target the government.
He further said that the confrontation at the SSP office in Haldwani ahead of national president Kharge’s programme had exposed the real face of Congress. The behaviour of leader of the opposition Yashpal Arya and state president Ganesh Godiyal, including slogan‑shouting and misbehaviour with police officers, was shameful, he claimed. According to Bhagat, with public support dwindling, Congress is now attempting to regain ground by targeting officials, but law and order cannot be challenged in the name of opposition.
Bhagat asserted that the BJP does not consider violence or anarchy as political tools and that justice and law apply equally to all. If any BJP member is found guilty, action will follow as per law. However, Congress too must accept responsibility and stop seeing conspiracies in every administrative arrangement. He urged Congress leadership to introspect on the direction of its politics, stressing that attacking the electoral system and administration out of frustration over repeated defeats was neither democratic nor acceptable.
