The Congress leaders and party workers staged a sit-in at Parade Ground in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, after the district administration “revoked” permission for a July 17 event of Leader of Opposition, Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi at the venue.
The Congress was planning to hold ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ (Voice of Students) at the venue.
The district administration revoked the permission, saying that another event was being held there. The event would now be held at the Bannu School ground, Uttarakhand Congress president Ganesh Godiyal said on Tuesday night.
For the unversed, ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ is the Congress’ 40-day nationwide campaign to demand reforms in the examination system and highlight issues of paper leaks, examination irregularities and unemployment.
Congress Holds Sit-In Protest, Alleges ‘Pressure From State Government’
Godiyal and other senior state Congress leaders, including Leader of the Opposition in the Uttarakhand Assembly Yashpal Arya, state election management committee chairman Harak Singh Rawat and state election campaign committee chairman Pritam Singh, joined the sit-in.
Godiyal alleged that the administration cancelled the three-day permission granted for July 15, 16 and 17 for Gandhi’s event at Parade Ground due to pressure from the state government. “The government says that an event is already underway at this venue. We want to show the public through media and social media that no such event is taking place here,” he said.
He claimed that the other event was being held at a different ground and had no connection to the Congress event. “Officials revoked the permission for our event due to pressure from the state government. This clearly shows the government’s fear of Rahul Gandhi,” Godiyal said.
Keeping in mind the safety and interests of youths, the event would now be held at Bannu School Ground, the Congress leader said.
What The District Administration Said
Dehradun District Magistrate (DM) Ashish Chauhan said a central government programme was going on at Parade Ground, adding that the administration’s objective was not to stop any event.
DM Chauhan clarified during the day that the central government’s ‘Lok Samvardhan Parv’ was being held at Parade Ground and that the event, originally scheduled from July 11 to July 15, had been extended till July 17.
He said the administration asked the Congress to hold its event at Bannu School Ground or any other place due to the non-availability of the original venue.
Chauhan further said the suggestion was made purely on administrative and logistical grounds and that the objective was not to stop any event.