Baddi MC Row: Congress holds protest in Solan, Ex congress MLA Ram Kumar raises slogans

PEEVED at the dilly dallying approach of district administration in arriving at the conclusion over the no confidence motion in Baddi Municipal Council, large number of people and congress workers lead by former legislator Ram Kumar today held strong protest outside the deputy commissioner office, here on Saturday.
The protesting congress workers and leaders raised anti district and Deputy Commissioner slogans demanding immediate action in the issue alleging that DC Solan was deliberately delaying the issue on one or other pretext reportedly at behest of government.
 Hundreds of activists led by former Doon MLA Chaudhary Ram Kumar assembled outside the DC office and lodged their protest against the dilly dallying approach in the issue. During this, Congress leaders raised slogans against the government, Chief Minister and DC. Though, adequate police force was deployed in and outside the DC office to prevent any untoward clash or incident, a piquant situation was also surfaced soon after, the protesters were stopped by the police and heated exchanges were seen as the protesters were demanding “Justice” in the issue. The protesters including Ex MLA of Doon constituency Ram Kumar Chaudhary said that people have all rights to lodge their protest in a welfare state and deploying of police force showed that BJP government was crushing the voice of common men in the state.
Notably, the ongoing battle of supremacy between the BJP and the Congress in Baddi, the Municipal Council of Doon assembly constituency of the district today took the new turn after former Doon MLA jumped into the issue. Although Congress had won 5 seats and BJP 4 seats in the council elections, but later a Congress councilor had joined hand with BJP to form its own council in Baddi. 
The functioning was running smoothly for some time, but about three weeks ago, Congress councilor Tarsem Chaudhary joined hands with the BJP after getting annoyed by the alleged arbitrariness and functioning of the Nagar Parishad President. The result was that four more Congress councilors moved a no-confidence motion against the council president to the DC, but till date that no-confidence motion could not be discussed nor was the president asked to prove the majority. This lead to resentment amongst the congress councilors who turned extremely upset with the alleged one-sided attitude of the government and district administration.
 According to the predetermined schedule on Saturday, former Doon MLA Chaudhary Ram Kumar along with dozens of his supporters assembled outside the DC office and raised slogans against the government, Chief Minister and DC Solan. He alleged that it has been almost three weeks since the no-confidence motion was submitted to the DC against the President of the Municipal Council Baddi, but till date it has not been discussed nor was the speaker asked to prove the majority, which clearly showed that it was only delayed on the instructions of the government and the Chief Minister.
 The district administration was also adopting a delaying tactics in the matter. Chaudhary Ram Kumar alleged that if it was the Baddi council of the Congress, then the ruling government would have ordered to prove the majority within three days on the no-confidence motion, but now the BJP government and the Chief Minister have realized that BJP would lose the confidence, hence the entire issue was being delayed.
 He said that the fabric of expelling councilor Tarsem Chaudhary is being made by accusing him of not attending the three meetings, but he has all the proofs that even three BJP councilors have not attended the meetings. In such a situation, BJP’s will not be form in Baddi at any cost, he added.