In protest against the Uttarakhand Government’s recent decision to allow sale and purchase of land in Gairsain in Chamoli district and arrest of activists who were demanding declaration of Gairsain as Capital of Uttarakhand, the State unit of Congress party held protests at all district headquarters on Saturday.
The Congress workers also burned the effigy of State Government as part of their protest. In Dehradun, the congress workers, led by Mahanagar president, Lal Chand Sharma, assembled at Rajiv Bhawan, the State headquarters of the party on the day and took out a march to the Astley Hall.
Braving rain, the Congress workers consigned the effigy of State Government to flames amid shouting of slogans. Later, talking to the media-persons, Sharma said the act of State Government to arrest the activists in Gairsain is highly deplorable. “The arrested include many women. The act of Government is insult of women of Uttarakhand who were instrumental in creating a separate State of Uttarakhand,’’ he said.
The Spokesperson of the State Congress Garima Dasauni said that the decision of the State Government to allow sale and purchase of land in Gairsain has exposed the agenda of the BJP Government and showed that the party is not interested to make Gairsain as Capital of Uttarakhand.
Reminding the Government that Gairsain was at centre of statehood movement and is the proposed Capital of Uttarakhand, Dasauni said it appears that the BJP which got overwhelming majority in the Assembly has closed its eyes on everything and adopted a dictatorial attitude.
Former MLA Ganesh Godiyal said that the decision of Government on Gairsain has exposed the policies of the BJP Government and anti people stance adopted by it. The congress leaders said that the Government action has not only hurt the sentiments of the people but has insulted the statehood activists.
Terming Gairsain as soul of Uttarakhand statehood movement, the congress leaders said that the agitation would continue till the Government takes back its decision to allow sale and purchase of property in Gairsain and releases the arrested activists.
Former MLA Rajkumar, Ajay Singh, PCC member Rakesh Chamoli and large number of Congress workers participated in the protest.