AAP's Bharadwaj slams Centre for stifling youth voices in protest

AAP's Saurabh Bharadwaj accused the Centre of preventing youth from protesting against the CEC in Delhi. He compared the govt to the British, saying it is sowing anarchy by deploying massive police force and that AAP is not afraid of being arrested.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Delhi president Saurabh Bharadwaj on Saturday accused the Central government of preventing young people from raising their voices during the protest in the national capital against the Chief Election Commissioner.

Bharadwaj said young people from across the country had gathered in Delhi to demand their rights.

'Even the British Didn’t Act This Way'

“Today, young people from every corner of the country have come to the national capital to demand their rights. Even the British didn’t act this way. When Gandhi undertook the Dandi March to demand rights from the British, he was allowed to march. Even the British acknowledged the right to raise one’s voice. Yet, the current government says you cannot even raise your voice; you cannot even speak,” he said.

“If you do not allow voices to be raised in this country, you are effectively sowing the seeds of anarchy. It is the government that is creating this situation by deploying such massive police and paramilitary forces. Has there been an attack by Pakistan? Or by Bangladesh? Or by China?” Bharadwaj said.

Questions Heavy Security Presence

He also referred to allegations made by the government and its agencies about protesters, questioning why such a large security presence was required. “Your government, your ministers, and your intelligence agencies used to claim that the followers of the ‘Cockroach Janata Party’ were Pakistanis or Bangladeshis. Well, if they are indeed Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, or foreigners, why is there such fear of them? They are in their country; they cannot come here. They aren’t going anywhere in the country,” he said.

'Not Afraid of Getting Arrested'

Bharadwarj said protesters had been courting arrest since morning and would continue to do so, adding that the AAP was not afraid of being detained. “They have been courting arrest since morning, and I believe this will continue throughout the day. We are not afraid of getting arrested,” he said.

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