Continuing its protest against the state government’s delimitation of urban local body areas on the fifth day, the Pradesh Congress Committee staged a demonstration at Gandhi Park here on Friday.
Heading the protest, the PCC president Pritam Singh said that the chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat and the state government were working in contradiction to the public sentiment. Addressing the protest gathering, Singh said that the people living in Gram Panchayat areas set to be merged into urban local bodies have been strongly opposing this decision of the state government. He said, “Despite the consistent and strong opposition from the local residents, the state government has remained obstinate. It seems as if the government actually has its eye on the lands in the Gram Panchayat areas. Going for delimitation to expand the urban local body areas without first ensuring provision of even basic facilities in the areas merged into such municipal areas in the past is nothing but an evidence of the government’s obstinate attitude. The government is expanding the municipal areas as part of a well planned conspiracy. The Congress party strongly opposes such a move,” stressed the PCC president.
Referring to the statements recently made by the state sports minister Arvind Pandey regarding alleged sexual harassment in sports associations, Singh strongly criticised the minister stating that by making such statements without factual basis, Pandey had created disturbance in the family life of current and ex women sportspersons. The chief minister should clarify the stance of the State Government on such statements, added Singh. Former minister Mantri Prasad Naithani, PCC vice president Suryakant Dhasmana, general secretary Navin Joshi, chief programme coordinator Rajendra Shah, Mahanagar head Prithviraj Chauhan and other party members were also present in the protest.