It is against the jail manual, but the Haldwani jail premises where over a dozen BJP activists including former BJP MP from Nainital seat Balraj Passi have been lodged on the charge of violating section 144 in Rudrapur on Wednesday, turned out to be a political ground on Friday as the party activists kept on visiting Passi since morning when he sat on hunger strike in the jail premises from Friday.
However, Passi accompanied by his supporters and party activists asserted to continue their agitation unless the State-led Congress Government releases all the party activists who have been arrested in the same Rudrapur case.
The State Government offered us an option to get released on the same day when the Udham Singh Nagar police arrested us on the charge of flouting section 144 in Rudrapur on personal bond of Rs 25,000. But we refused to accept it. We want that all the party activists be released without any precondition, asserted Passing, while talking to The Pioneer.
We as the BJP activists wanted to stage a peaceful agitation in Rudrapur on Wednesday in protest against naming party MlA from Rudrapur Raj Kumar Thukral in the Rudrapur incident of October 2011. But the State Government only suppressed voice of the Opposition activists, he alleged, saying it is violation of our democratic rights.
The matter of concern is that there is total misuse of administrative machinery. The District Magistrate and the SSP of Udham Singh Nagar are acting as the Congress district presidents, Passi allegedly said, asserting to intensify the protest in case the Congress led State Government continues to suppress the democratic rights of the Opposition party leaders.
launching a scathing attack on the Congress led State Government , Passi did not restrict himself to the present case of Rudrapur. He went on accusing the State Government of being failed to deliver on all fronts during the past two years.
The action against BJP activists is nothing but an attempt of this present State Government to divert the attention of the people from the mis-governance. The matter of fact is that the state Congress Party is presently facing leadership crisis in Udham Singh Nagar. Whether it is the Chief Minister or the state Congress president both are imported leaders. Neither they understand the public sentiments nor stay among the people in Udham Singh nagar, Passi further said.
That is why the Congress led State Government is indulged in such act of political vendetta. But the BJP would strongly oppose such acts of this State Government, he asserted. Whereas the BJP activists have put up a united face against the aforesaid issue, now it is to be seen how the Congress led state Government deals with his issue ahead.
In the meanwhile, when the issue of BJP activists’ hunger strike in the jail premises was raised before Manoj Arya, the Superintendent of Haldwani Jail, he said that that kind of activities are against the jail manual. Therefore, the jail administration will act according to the laid down guidelines to main discipline, he asserted.