Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat has unleashed a scathing attack on the authorities following the Delhi Police’s arrest of Indian Youth Congress President Uday Bhanu Chib, calling it a grave infringement on constitutional rights to free expression.
During a candid conversation with IANS in Dehradun, Rawat highlighted the troubling optics of Chib’s arrest and remand in connection with AI Summit-related unrest and the controversial India-US trade agreement. ‘This move strikes at the heart of speaking truth to power,’ Rawat warned.
He argued that the Youth Congress’s protests were a legitimate response to policies undermining national welfare. ‘Governments don’t dictate the validity of political expression; the people do. If laws were broken, prove it—don’t demonize dissenters as enemies of the state,’ Rawat urged.
Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala reinforced this stance, referencing iconic freedom struggle figures. ‘Peaceful opposition, as demonstrated by our Youth Congress, is democracy’s lifeblood, not treason,’ he affirmed. Surjewala committed to relentless advocacy against any trade deals that shortchange India, framing the arrest as a dark mark in history.
As the political rift widens, this incident serves as a litmus test for India’s commitment to open debate, potentially galvanizing opposition forces ahead of future electoral showdowns.