CHANDIGARH: Haryana’s political temperature soared as Congress stalwart Bhupinder Singh Hooda denounced the Haryana Police’s arrest of Youth Congress President Uday Bhanu Chib amid demands to restore MGNREGA. In an interview, Hooda called the four-day remand ‘a live proof of BJP’s jitters’ and an assault on democratic norms.
Hooda contextualized the arrest within a larger narrative of governmental overreach. Youth Congress activists had mobilized for a peaceful assembly siege, spotlighting the sudden termination of MGNREGA, which employed the rural poor. ‘With 8 lakh registered workers, scrapping it two months back reveals their intent to shatter Gandhi’s rural empowerment vision,’ he said.
Painting the arrest as a smokescreen for shortcomings, Hooda stressed, ‘Power-drunk rulers resort to repression to conceal failures, but the Constitution and democracy won’t allow opposition voices to be silenced.’ He condemned the move in strongest terms, positioning it as fear-driven tyranny.
Joining the chorus, Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee chief Rao Narendra Singh lambasted the house arrests of incoming protesters. ‘A government believing in democratic values talks; it doesn’t crush. Blocking peaceful dissent signals dictatorship,’ he warned. Undaunted, he pledged, ‘Our resolve to protect truth, Constitution, and democracy stands firm. We persist.’
The episode signals intensifying opposition resistance, potentially reshaping Haryana’s power dynamics as public grievances mount.