Cong workers protest against ‘BJP siege in Doon
Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 22 Jul: Congress today staged a strong show of strength in response to the BJP’s attempt to lay siege to the Pradesh Congress Committee office. On the call of Pradesh Congress President Ganesh Godiyal, thousands of Congress workers marched from the party headquarters towards the BJP state office, raising slogans against the government and carrying party flags and banners.
Ganesh Godiyal accused the BJP of undermining democratic values, citing the recent incident at Jantar Mantar where students and youth were subjected to police and CRPF action allegedly at the behest of the central government, and the subsequent misbehaviour with Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders in Parliament. He said the BJP was attempting to silence the voice of the opposition through such tactics, but Congress workers would resist democratically and would not retreat from any political persecution. He remarked that the proverb ‘Ulta chor kotwal ko daante’ had been proved true, as BJP’s state president Mahendra Bhatt, despite being responsible for maintaining law and order, was instigating irresponsible actions by party workers and disturbing the atmosphere of the state. He asserted that the conduct of the BJP leadership demonstrated that not only the Modi government but the entire party was against youth and students.
The large turnout of Congress workers forced police to push back the handful of BJP leaders and workers who had gathered at the metropolitan office under the leadership of Mahendra Bhatt. Heavy security arrangements were made to prevent Congress workers from reaching the BJP office, with barricades erected at several points and a sizeable police force deployed. Some scuffles and heated exchanges occurred between police and Congress workers, but the situation remained under control.
During the protest, Congress workers warned that, if such actions against the opposition continued, a widespread public movement would be launched across the state. The programme saw the participation of senior leaders including Rajendra Bhandari, Suryakant Dhasmana, Rajiv Maharshi, Rajendra Shah, Godavari Thapli, Surendra Rangad, Naveen Joshi, Ashwini Bahuguna, Jyoti Routela, Pratima Singh, Rajesh Chamoli, Sujata Paul, Shishpal Bisht, Jasvinder Singh Gogi, Mohit Uniyal, Lalchand Sharma, Pradeep Joshi, Babbun Sati, Amarjit Singh, Vijay Pratap Mall, Jagdish Dhiman, Sushil Dobhal, Sanjay Kanojia, Suleman Ansari, Madan Lal, Ashish Nautiyal, Sonia Anand, Yashpal Chauhan, Vineet Bhatt, Ankur Rawthaan, Kunwar Sajwan, Titu Tyagi, Surat Singh Negi, Manju Tripathi, Vikas Negi, Pia Thapa, Anoop Kapoor, Akhilesh Uniyal, Robin Tyagi, Mohan Khatri, Poonam Kandari, Virendra Panwar, Najma Khan, Asha Sharma, Chandrakala Negi, Pushpa Panwar, Sushila Sharma, Rekha Dhingra, Shobha Badoni, Anita Saklani, Sangita Gupta, Sabita Sonkar, Mukim Ahmed, Lalit Bhadri, Sumendra Bohra, Vinod Kumar, Pritam Arya, Prashant Khanduri, Ritesh Joshi, Anuradha Tiwari, Telu Ram Pradhan, Lakhiram Bijalwan, Swati Negi, Satyendra Panwar, Anoop Saxena, Sanjay Uniyal, Sunil Thapliyal, Kartar Negi, Anand Pundir, Devendra Rawat, Mahesh Joshi, Sunita Prakash, Arjun Gaharwar, Manju Chauhan, Gagan Chhachhar, Sachin Tichkule, Madan Kohli, Gul Sher Munna, Anil Basnet, Savitri Thapa, Adarsh Sood, Mohammad Faizal, Sharif Beg, Nareshanand Nautiyal, Hukam Singh Kathait, Nidhi Negi, Rehana Parveen, Manwar Singh, Nand Kishore Nautiyal, Deepak Manwal and hundreds of others.
Meanwhile, in Haridwar, Congress workers staged a protest against the lathi charge on students in Delhi and the detention of Rahul Gandhi. They first gathered at Chandracharya Chowk, raising slogans against the central government, before marching to the office of Cabinet Minister Madan Kaushik. Police attempted to stop them outside Khanna Nagar, leading to scuffles and tension, though the situation was later calmed. Several workers managed to reach the minister’s office before being persuaded to disperse peacefully.
Ganesh Godiyal, in a video statement, described the BJP’s call to lay siege to the Congress office as unfortunate and against democratic values. He said the party was trying to divert attention from issues where it should have stood with students and youth. He reiterated that Congress would continue to fight for the rights of students, youth and the public, and urged workers to maintain peace, discipline and restraint while expecting the administration to ensure security of the Congress office and prevent any untoward incident.
