CHANDIGARH: In a scathing attack on the Haryana BJP government, Congress MP Deepender Singh Hooda has accused the ruling dispensation of stifling democratic rights by blocking protests against the scrapping of MGNREGA scheme. Speaking to the media amid rising tensions, Hooda emphasized that dissent is the jewel of democracy, yet the government is resorting to unprecedented measures to silence opposition voices.
The Haryana Congress had planned widespread demonstrations across multiple districts to protest the BJP’s decision to terminate the flagship rural employment program and slash 14 lakh BPL cards. However, police intervention turned aggressive, with leaders placed under house arrest and key figures detained. ‘Protesting on such issues is not just the opposition’s right but the people’s right,’ Hooda asserted, drawing from his 22 years as a Parliament member.
Highlighting the irony, Hooda recalled how the BJP itself organized similar protests when in opposition. ‘I’ve never seen notices being pasted to deny permissions like this,’ he said, pointing to the house arrests in Faridabad, Hisar, Mahendragarh, Karnal, Sonipat, Panipat, Rohtak, Palwal, and Ambala. The arrest of Indian Youth Congress President Uday Bhanu Chib, remanded to four days’ police custody, has been labeled a danger signal for democracy.
Haryana Congress Chief Rao Narendra Singh took to X, condemning the suppression of peaceful protests as a sign of the BJP’s fear of public voice. ‘You can’t silence us by confining workers at home. Ideas cannot be imprisoned,’ he declared. As political temperatures soar, the Congress vows to continue the fight for constitutional rights and public welfare, underscoring that youth raising questions is democracy’s essence, not a crime.