Uttarakhand Police Will Not Bow to Pressure: Rajendra Pal Gautam

New Delhi, August 30: Rajendra Pal Gautam, Congress’s in-charge for Uttar Pradesh, discussed several pressing issues on Saturday. These included Rahul Gandhi‘s remarks on ‘purification’, the alleged denial of Sonia Gandhi’s book publication, and the party’s demand for a respectable number of seats in the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

He stated, “We will wait. We expect that the Uttarakhand police will not succumb to government pressure, as Article 17 of the Constitution prohibits untouchability. However, this has been violated. The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act also bans untouchability. The law mandates that if the police receive any complaint regarding this matter, they must register a case immediately. Unfortunately, the government has remained deaf and mute so far. Given Mahendra Bhatt’s support for purification, a case should also be filed against him.”

Gautam also responded to the decision not to publish Sonia Gandhi’s book, stating, “This clearly shows that both the media and publishers are under pressure. Everyone is compelled to work under duress. The extent of government pressure on the media is well-known. Regarding the book, I want to clarify that it will be published by November. Several publishing houses are coming forward to publish this book.”

Furthermore, he addressed the allocation of seats for the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. According to him, the party will soon make a decision on this matter. “Preparations are ongoing for all 403 seats. We will contest the elections with great strength. This time, the government will change.”

In response, Shubham Giri, the state executive president of the Samajwadi Party, commented on Rahul Gandhi’s statement about the mistreatment of Dalits. He said, “India is the largest democratic country. Previously, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge visited Haldwani and held a grand rally. After that, purification was conducted there. However, such a mentality should not exist, as there are many Dalit leaders in the BJP as well. The BJP should take strict action. This mentality is wrong.”

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