Sunday, 12 February 2023 | PNS | DEHRADUN
Senior leaders Harish Rawat, Karan Mahara, Bhuwan Kapdi detained by the Police
The protest of the Uttarakhand Congress in support of the demands of the unemployed continued for the second consecutive day on Saturday. Large number of Congress workers and leaders were arrested by the police when they tried to take out a march to the Police headquarters in protest against the use of force by the Police on the unemployed in Dehradun on Thursday. The Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Karan Mahara, former Chief Minister Harish Rawat, deputy leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) Bhuwan Kapri and other leaders were detained and taken to the police lines.
Addressing the party workers, the PCC president Karan Mahara said that the unemployed youths only want the recruitment examinations to be conducted in a free and fair manner. They want the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry headed by a sitting judge of the High Court to be ordered in the paper leak cases. Mahara said that the unemployed have lost faith in the government and system and instead of restoring this faith the government has used repressive measures. He said that the government should drop cases imposed on the students and hold direct talks with the student leaders. He threatened that the Congress party would be forced to launch a state-wide protest if the government fails to act.
Former CM Harish Rawat said that the Dhami government has become arrogant and does not want to listen to the voice of the unemployed. It is trying to suppress the genuine demands of the students by using the Police force. Rawat said that the BJP government has become synonymous with corruption and it is ready to go to any extent to save the politician involved in the recruitment scams. He said that resentment is brewing among the general public of Uttarakhand. Rawat added that the Congress party would continue to support the unemployed till their demands are accepted.
The deputy leader of CLP Bhuwan Kapdi said that the Congress party raised the issue of the unemployed with proof in the Vidhan Sabha but the government was in slumber. Kapdi said that instead of adopting repressive measures the State government should listen to the demands of the students. The Congress MLA, Harish Dhami said that the students and women of the State fought for a separate State to ensure that the youngsters get jobs but jobs are being sold in the State. He said that the government should shed its dictatorial attitude and order a CBI probe in the paper leak cases. The Mahanagar president Jaswinder Singh Gogi, former ministers Shurveer Singh Sajwan, Mantri Prasad Naithani, Hira Singh Bisht and other senior leaders of the party also addressed the party workers.
Later in the day the PCC president Karan Mahara and former PCC president Pritam Singh offered fruit juice to the office bearers of Youth Congress to break their three day fast. These leaders were sitting on a fast for three days in protest against the “atrocities” of the police on the unemployed in Dehradun on Thursday.
