Congress in U'khand plans month-long protests against 'murder of democracy'

Uttarakhand Congress has readied a nearly month-long plan starting April to protest against the ongoing "murder of democracy" and a "conspiracy" to wipe out the opposition by framing its leaders who speak against the BJP-led government, a party member said on Saturday.

Describing Rahul Gandhi's disqualification as an MP and the eviction notice to him to vacate his official bungalow as part of the alleged conspiracy, Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Karan Mahara said a protest in different modes will be carried out in the state throughout the month of April against the "murder of democracy".

The protests will include a postcard campaign, lodging written complaints at police stations across Uttarakhand against senior BJP leaders who have used unparliamentary words against Congress leaders in the past and holding political rallies across the state, he said at a press conference.

Written complaints will be lodged against Bharatiya Janata Party leaders who had compared Sonia Gandhi to a "jersey cow" and a former minister to Ravana's sister "Surpanakha" in Ramayana, Mahara said.

In the postcard campaign, cards mentioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "misdeeds" will be sent to his address. It will begin on April 3 and go on till April 15. The campaign will be carried out by Uttarakhand Youth Congress, Mahila Congress, Seva Dal and National Students Union of India (NSUI), he said.

From April 15 to 25, the PCC will hold rallies in all Uttarakhand districts against the "murder of democracy" and conclude it with a big rally in Dehradun sometime between April 25 to 30.

The party has been staging protests in several states to protest Gandhi's disqualification from the Lok Sabha following his conviction by a Surat court in a 2019 criminal defamation case.