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Not allowed to address youth event in Prayagraj: Hardik Patel
Hardik Patel, along with NSUI national president Neeraj Kundan, was to attend the event in Prayagraj and address the youth from 12 noon. The event was part of the state Congress’s Youth Parliaments to be held across Uttar Pradesh in connection with the assembly polls.
Gujarat Congress working president Hardik Patel on Saturday alleged that he, along with a National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) leader, was denied permission by the district administration to address an event organised by the Congress at the Sardar Patel Seva Sansthan in the Alopibagh locality of Prayagraj ahead of the UP assembly polls. Congress leaders claimed the programme had the Election Commission of India’s permission.
A large number of policemen were also stationed near the venue to prevent the event from proceeding as scheduled, a Youth Congress leader said.
Reacting to the developments, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra tweeted: “BJP leaders campaign with the crowd, talk hateful things. No action of administration. But the Congress party was stopped from releasing the youth manifesto in Prayagraj today. Under pressure of the government, the Election Commission and the administration are engaged in suppressing the agenda of the youth and crushing the democracy. Fairness?”
Hardik Patel, along with NSUI national president Neeraj Kundan, was to attend the event in Prayagraj and address the youth from 12 noon. The event was part of the state Congress’s Youth Parliaments to be held across Uttar Pradesh in connection with the assembly polls.
According to the programme prepared for the Youth Parliaments, Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel attended one such event in Agra on January 28 while Hardik Patel was to be there in Prayagraj on January 29, Varanasi on January 30 followed by Meerut on January 31. Alka Lamba and Kanhaiya Kumar were to attend a similar event in Lucknow on February 1 and Imran Pratapgarhi in Kanpur on February 3.
Hardik, along with Neeraj Kundan, arrived at the Patel Seva Sansthan from Bamrauli airport but were informed by the district administration and police officials that the permission for the event had been denied.
After some time, the leaders left the site, said superintendent of police (City) Dinesh Singh.
After an argument the leaders then proceeded to Chota Baghada, one of the localities where the police are accused of having barged into lodges housing students and youngsters preparing for competitive exams and assaulted them on January 25 after a violent protest by a large group of RRB (Railway Recruitment Board) NTPC (non-technical popular category) recruitment exam aspirants who were unhappy over short-listing of candidates for the second phase of the exam. Many youngsters had sustained injuries in police action at the lodges. The incident finally led to the suspension of six policemen, including an inspector and two sub-inspectors by Prayagraj SSP Ajay Kumar.
However, the police allegedly prevented Hardik Patel and other NSUI leaders from entering the Chota Baghada locality also. The leaders then headed to the local Congress office on Zero Road. They also took part in house-to-house campaigning in the Allahabad South assembly constituency after which they went to the Bara area.
ADM (City) Madan Kumar said permission for the event was not given taking possible law and order ramifications into account , especially in the light of the recent violent protests by youth and students in the city. “For this very reason, they were also not allowed to proceed to Chota Baghada locality,” Kumar said. However, they were not stopped from undertaking house-to-house campaigning for their party, he added.
Addressing media persons at the gates of Patel Seva Sansthan, Hardik Patel said he was being stopped from raising issues of the youth and unemployed at the behest of the state government.
“This, when the poll related events of the leaders of the ruling party are being allowed every day. They are claiming that they do not have adequate police force for the event. Strangely, this is what we are fighting for as we want youngsters to get jobs so that there are adequate number of policemen. All this is misuse of the government machinery and power. We are fighting to save the country and have been fighting right from the age of 21. We want educated youth to get jobs,” he added.
Later, in a tweet while still in Prayagraj, Hardik Patel added: “I went to Prayagraj in UP to strengthen the voice of the youth, but at the behest of the BJP, the police stopped me. Today the police did not allow the youth parliament programme organised under the “recruitment legislation” to be held and threatened the students. Efforts are being made to suppress the voice of the youth.”
Additional City Magistrate (ACM)-4 Dr Kanchan said, “Permission for conducting any event is granted only after we receive a recommendation in favour of it from the police. The letter seeking permission for the event was sent to the station officer and circle officer concerned and the police, citing their own reasons, declined to give their recommendation for the event. As a result, I denied the permission for it.”
State president of NSUI (Uttar Pradesh) Akhilesh Yadav said that it was shameful that the district administration used all its power to prevent Congress leaders from meeting and interacting with the youth.
