Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 10 Aug: BJP state president and Rajya Sabha MP Mahendra Bhatt has reacted strongly to the alleged conduct of senior Congress leaders in Haldwani where they had entered the SSP office and had indulged in ‘anarchy’. Bhatt has termed the conduct of Congress leaders in Haldwani as an extension of Rahul Gandhi’s politics of anarchy. He alleged that Rahul protests outside the Prime Minister’s residence, encourages disruptions in Parliament and glorifies shirtless demonstrators as lions, whereas the Uttarakhand Congress leaders are also taking to similar anarchy and are also indulging in disruptive politics.
In a statement issued today, Bhatt said that by doing so the Congress leaders have insulted the administrative institutions, the people of the state and the entire political system, for which the Congress leadership must immediately tender a public apology.
Bhatt strongly condemned the unruly behaviour and offensive language used by senior Congress leaders and workers during the state visit of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. He said the Congress leadership should apologise to the people and the system for this disgraceful episode and take strict disciplinary action against those responsible. He added that the incident clearly shows that Congress no longer respects its senior leaders nor adheres to any form of democratic political decorum.
The Rajya Sabha MP also asserted that the conduct of Congress leaders is the result of the political culture imparted by the party’s top leadership. He said Rahul Gandhi has undermined the democratic norms, whether by sitting on a protest outside the Prime Minister’s residence while holding the position of Leader of Opposition or by repeatedly displaying indecorous behaviour in Parliament. He pointed out that Rahul’s description of shirtless demonstrators during the international AI summit in Delhi as ‘lions’ reflects the leadership’s sympathy for anarchic politics. When the top leadership sends such signals, it is natural for state leaders to compete in disorderly conduct.
Bhatt claimed that the Congress seems to be in a race to see who can break democratic norms first and most. The behaviour of its leaders indicates that for them political opposition means indecency, insult and anarchy. He said that while dissenting views are acceptable in a healthy democracy, breaking the limits of language, hurting the dignity of public life and eroding political etiquette cannot be tolerated.
He expressed concern that through such actions Congress is not only disgracing itself but also damaging the dignity of the entire political system and democratic institutions. Such conduct, he said, creates distrust among the public towards politicians and fosters negative perceptions about politics. The BJP leader urged the national and state leadership of Congress to apologise publicly and take strict action against guilty leaders and workers instead of remaining silent. He emphasised that the people of Uttarakhand want politics of development, good governance, decency and democratic dialogue, not politics of anarchy.
