Politicians from various parties except the Bharatiya Janata Party attended Chetna Andolan's "Savaal Hamara, Javab Tumhara" programme in Dehradun. According to the event organizers, more than 500 worker delegates from six Vidhan Sabha constituencies assembled to demand answers from these parties on their basic livelihood issues and the demands of their struggle. Despite confirming their participation several times, including half an hour before the programme, the BJP failed to send any representative, according to the event organisers..
The Congress party was represented by the Pradesh Congress Committee vice president Jot Singh Bisht who was asked by Ratanpur village resident Jay Singh about why the Congress-led government has done nothing to implement the Forest Rights Act, and is giving land to projects without the legally required agreement of Gram Sabhas. Bisht said that he didn't think any project could be put up without the "support of the people" and that perhaps some "formalities" had not been completed. Workers then raised questions about the failure of the government to implement its commitment to set up a helpline for workers whose wages are not paid; to provide insurance cards under the RSBY; and to implement its commitment to give titles to slum dwellers, Bisht stressed that the government had faced a number of challenges in the past three years and these commitments will be implemented when it is re-elected to office.
Sunil Dhyani, election in charge from the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal; Bachiram Kanswal, of the Communist Party of India (Marxist); Rajiv Kothari of the Communist Party of India and Kamala Pant of Swaraj India, addressed the gathering and responded to questions raised by the people. They averred that they supported the struggle of the workers, forest dwellers and other oppressed classes of the state and that neither the Congress nor the BJP would fulfill their promises.
Kamala Pant pointed out that given the recent en masse shift of leaders from one party to the other, how could any weight be attached to their promisesIJ
Jagmohan Mehndiratta of the All India Bank Employees Association and Sushil Kumar Tyagi also addressed the gathering and called for unity in the effort.
The gathering was also addressed by Chetna Andolan convenor Trepan Singh Chauhan and joint convenor Shankar Gopalakrishnan among others.