CHANDIGARH: In a scathing attack on the Haryana government, former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has condemned the arrest of Youth Congress President Uday Bhanu Chib as a desperate bid to mask administrative failures. Speaking exclusively to media outlets here on Thursday, Hooda labeled the move ‘reprehensible’ and a clear sign of the ruling BJP’s panic.
Hooda pointed out that Youth Congress workers had staged a peaceful protest, yet their leader was swiftly detained and remanded to four days of police custody. ‘This arrest is nothing but an attempt to hide their failures,’ he asserted. He argued that such undemocratic actions expose the government’s fear of criticism, emphasizing that questioning authority and opposing injustice are constitutional rights.
The senior Congress leader highlighted the broader context of the protests. Congress workers from across Haryana were converging on the state assembly to demand the reinstatement of the MGNREGA scheme, which he described as a lifeline for the poor. ‘The BJP scrapped MGNREGA works just two months ago, leaving around 8 lakh registered workers jobless,’ Hooda said, accusing the government of undermining Mahatma Gandhi’s vision of rural self-reliance.
Haryana Congress President Rao Narendra Singh echoed these sentiments, criticizing the house arrest of peaceful protesters as evidence of the government’s dread of public voices. ‘Democratic governments engage in dialogue, not suppression,’ he stated. ‘This reeks of authoritarianism, but we will not back down from defending truth, the Constitution, and democracy.’
As tensions simmer, the Congress vows to continue its fight for public interest, undeterred by what it calls draconian measures. The incident underscores deepening political divides in the state ahead of potential electoral battles.