Former Chief Minister and general secretary of Uttarakhand Congress Harish Rawat staged a protest near the residence of the Governor on Tuesday. Rawat had declared to sit on a Dharna for one hour outside the Raj Bhawan in protest against what he termed a deliberate attempt by the Government to silent the voice of the Opposition. However a high drama unfolded when Rawat walking alone tried to reach Raj Bhawan.
The police had erected barricades on the way to the Raj Bhawan and Rawat was prevented from moving ahead. An agitated Rawat told the police personnel and officers of administration to allow him to sit under the shadow of a tree which was about 50 meters from the place where he was stopped. Initially, the administration refused the request which prompted him to sit on the road in front of police barricades. Talking to the media persons, Rawat said that the government is registering false cases against Congress leaders. He said that cases against him and many other Congress leaders were slapped on Monday when he rode a bullock cart to register his protest against rising prices of petrol and diesel. Rawat claimed that social distancing was followed in the march but even then cases were registered. Similar cases were registered against Congress leaders when the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) had organised a human chain event in protest against the fuel price hike recently, he said.
The senior Congress leader said that the Government is continuously increasing fuel prices even as the international prices of crude are low. He said that the increase in fuel prices would have a cascading effect on prices of every essential item.
The administration later allowed Rawat to sit on a Dharna at the place of his choice. A number of Congress leaders and workers including former PCC president Kishore Upadhyaya, Matbar Singh Kandari, Balbir Singh Rawat also reached the spot where Rawat was staging Dharna.