Congress top leaders of Uttarakhand strongly condemn arbitrary legal action against dashing Uttarakhand journalist Ajit Singh Rathi

Speaking the truth has now become a crime in the country, especially in states with double-engine governments.

If a journalist asks questions in support of public rights, they are served notices, police arrive at their homes, and attempts are made to intimidate their family said the Congress president of Uttarakhand Karan Mahara reacting to the authorities of Uttarakhand issuing legal notice to a courageous independent journalist Ajit Rathi whose only fault was, he questioned as to why a land of IT park has been alloted or allocated to a private builder on 90 years lease.

Expressing his immense concern and shock over this dictatorial attitude of the authorities concerned under the regime of the saffron party in Uttarakhand Congress chief Karan Mahara further said : The latest example of this has been seen in Uttarakhand, where the government has become so insensitive that it is afraid of even hearing the truth.

He revealed that when senior journalist Ajit Rathi questioned a decision of the state government as to why the valuable government land of Dehradun’s IT Park was given to a private builder on a 90-year lease?, the government was enraged.

The place that should have sparked the IT industry and employment for the state’s youth is now selling flats. And when a fearless journalist questioned this plunder, the government rewarded him with “legal notices” and “police pressure.” said immensely enraged Congress leader Karan Mahara.

Expressing his annoyance iver this dictatorial attitude of the government against the fourth pillar cjnsidted to be an important pillar to safeguard from cracy Maharashtra sayd for the last three days, the police arrived at their doorstep. Attempts were made to intimidate the family. Is this the face of the “double-engine government”? asked the Uttarakhand Congress chief.

Levelling serious charges of sticking the voice of dissent, free speech and independent writing Karan Mahara said : Instead of answering the public’s questions, it is busy silencing those who ask them? said annoyed Karan Mahara.

He asked from the Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami : Is journalism now a crime in this state? Has your government become so intolerant that it fears even the tip of a pen?

This is the same Uttarakhand that once prided itself on freedom of expression, but today, a journalist is being denied his rights simply because he dared to “question the powers that be.” You can’t erase the truth by sending legal notices.

You can instill fear by sending the police, but you cannot imprison the truth. And the biggest truth is that any government that fears questions is steeped in corruption.

The Congress Party condemns this cowardice said Karan Mahara.

In a lengthy protest message over the harrasment of a transparent independent journalist Ajeet Singh Rathi Congress Uttarakhand chief Karan Mahara said : We want to make it clear that pressuring journalist Ajit Rathi or any other journalist raising public issues is a direct attack on democracy. We stand with them in this fight, because when journalists remain silent, dictatorship speaks.

The Dhami government has forgotten that in a democracy, the pen is mightier than the sword asserted Mahara adding further that no government can survive long by intimidating or suppressing this pen. Uttarakhand Congress stands with every voice that dares to speak the truth.

He pointed towards chief minister and said : Chief Minister, remember that sending notices doesn’t stop questions, sending the police doesn’t suppress the truth, and intimidation doesn’t turn the public’s attention away. Your efforts will fail, because when the public awakens, power trembles.

Today Uttarakhand is asking whether democracy has now become just a convenience for the government, or is there still room for speaking the truth in it? Asked the Congress Uttarakhand chief Karan Mahara.

Meanwhile the former Uttarakhand CM and CWC Mber Harish Rawat too came out in support of the journalists Ajit Singh Rathi. He wrote on X : Fearless yet responsible journalism has been the pride of Uttarakhand. We have many journalist friends who have repeatedly criticized us or raised their voices. We were always under fire when we were in power.

I believe that fearless journalism empowers both the powers that be and those in power. But today’s rulers think differently. They find criticism extremely harsh.

Now, when a journalist raised a question about #SIDCUL, a #notice was delivered to his home.

My advice is, the notice should be withdrawn immediately. Yes, if there’s an explanation, it should also find a place in the journalist’s writing or voice.

In the morning when Ajit Singh received the legal notice from a supreme Court advocate on behalf of SIDCUl he mentioned the detail post in X in Hindi :

Four days ago, I had mentioned on my ‘X’ account that SIDCUL had given the IT Park land to a private company on a 90-year lease. In response to this, I received a legal notice from SIDCUL, sent by a Supreme Court lawyer.

Although there was a buzz in Dehradun city for the last three days that the state government was sending me a legal notice, but I received it yesterday evening.

To serve this notice, government officials in khaki uniform visited my house in my absence for three days; this was an exercise to put mental pressure on my family, which proved to be futile.
Chief Minister, please continue sending notices, as I will continue to raise issues of national interest. I’m hearing similar news from Khurpiya Farm in Udham Singh Nagar. I’m currently verifying it and will bring it forward later. My question remains the same.

Why should government land be given to private builders?
What good will this do to Uttarakhand?

And yes, I want to say one more thing: mature politicians should never listen to the advice of selfish advisors.
Rulers of every era have had advisors of the Chilande type in their courts.

MUKESH AMBANI AT BADRINATH . DONATES RS TEN CRORES CHEQUE TO BKTC chief Hemant Dwivedi