Venue of Rahul Gandhi’s Dehradun event changed after administration denies permission

Dehradun, Jul 15 (PTI) The Congress on Wednesday began preparations to hold Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi's ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ event scheduled for July 17 at the Bannu School ground here after the administration cancelled permission for the ‘Parade Ground’. Party sources said that the Uttarakhand Congress unit president, Ganesh Godiyal, visited the ground in the morning alongside Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly Yashpal Arya, state election campaign committee chairman Pritam Singh, party co-in-charge Surendra Sharma, Manoj Yadav and other leaders to review preparations for Gandhi’s ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ event. Godiyal alleged that permission had been sought for July 15, 16, and 17 after depositing the prescribed fee, but the administration cancelled the permission for the Congress leader's event by citing the extension of another event already taking place at the ground until July 17. He claimed that the event cited as the reason for cancelling the permission was actually taking place at a different ground, and they neither required that specific venue nor had they sought permission for it. During a sit-in protest held at the ‘Parade Ground’ with leaders and workers, he announced that the ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ event would now be organised at the Bannu School ground, an alternative location. Godiyal said that his party could have held the event at the ‘Parade Ground’ and would have fiercely challenged the government over it, but the decision to hold the programme at Bannu School ground was taken in view of the students' safety. PTI DPT SKY MNK MNK