RAJ KUMAR
Ranchi, Feb 21: Deepak Prakash, BJP state president and Rajya Sabha member, strongly condemned the use of lathi charges against agitating Panchayat Secretariat volunteers near Raj Bhavan, calling the move ‘autocratic’ and reminiscent of emergency times.
His statement came after a visit to the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), where volunteers who were injured in a lathi charge are being treated.
Yesterday, police used a lathi charge to disperse volunteers protesting for their three-point charter of demands, which included the payment of honorarium instead of incentive amount, the conversion of Panchayat Swayamsevak to Panchayat Sahayak, and the extension of the service age to 60 years.
“In a democracy, everyone has the right to speak up about any issue, and it is the government’s responsibility to listen to them. Ironically, no one in the government is listening to the people’s voice, and police, on the direction of the state administration, are using lathi charges on the poor,” Prakash said.
“The state administration is duping the youth by promising them jobs. Only large advertisements are published, and phone calls are made. If the government values the public and democracy, it should disclose the number of youths who have found work during the current government’s tenure,” Prakash added.
