BJP 'rattled' by Rahul Gandhi's Dehradun event, public eager for change: Selja

Dehradun, Jul 18 (PTI) Uttarakhand Congress in-charge Kumari Selja on Saturday the BJP government was "rattled" by Rahul Gandhi's event in Dehradun, claiming that ruling party tried to block the programme, but failed to dampen the enthusiasm of the youth and the public. Addressing a press conference here, Selja alleged that whenever Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi raises people's issues, whether inside Parliament or outside, the BJP gets nervous and creates disruptions on one pretext or another. She claimed the government made every effort to stop Friday's Dehradun event by citing another programme at the same venue, but asserted that Gandhi was not one to back down because of such attempts. "The government's attitude was visible, and so was the enthusiasm of the youth and the general public. The government is rattled, while the people have rallied behind Rahul Gandhi's voice," she said, adding that the BJP's reaction reflected a changing political mood in the state. Launching a broad attack on the ruling party, Selja described Uttarakhand as the "paper leak capital" and alleged that corruption had seeped down to the grassroots under the BJP's "double-engine" government, hollowing out the state's system "like termites." She also accused the government of failing to curb other problems, alleging complicity in the theft of temple offerings and claiming that "mafia raj" had taken root in the state. Selja said the Congress had recently completed its 'Parivartan Sankalp Yatra' across Uttarakhand's hill districts to highlight these issues and hear public grievances. A similar outreach programme would soon be launched in the plains, she added. She also announced that senior Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and party president Mallikarjun Kharge, would visit Uttarakhand for programmes in the coming months. Responding to a question, Selja said the Congress was fully prepared for elections, whether held on schedule or earlier, and claimed the public was also eager for an early poll to bring about a change in government. PTI DPT NB