TV
A scuffle broke out between the students’ wing of the Congress and police during a protest in Bhubaneswar. The students wing of the Congress had staged a demonstration demanding students’ union election in Odisha. Earlier, the Odisha government had announced that the students’ union polls would be held next year.
The Congress activists were taken into preventive custody while they tried to march towards the Odisha Assembly. “Students’ Union election is a democratic right of students.
The Odisha government claimed that there is no time this year, we condemn it. We want to ask the minister whether he doesn’t have time or ABVP is not ready for the polls,” said a student leader of Congress.
“Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan he should not focus on history, he should focus on future development. There is no justification to change anything and hurt anybody’s sentiments. The Union Minister should withdraw his comments,” alleged another leader.
“We will continue with our agitations for holding Students Union Elections in the state. Earlier, the BJP was also opposing when Students Union Elections were not held under BJD rule. Now BJP has formed a government and now it is not holding the polls. We have tried to gherao Assembly as voices of students are being suppressed,” said another protester.
Responding to the allegations, ABVP state secretary Arijit Patnaik said, “Congress is not in power at Centre or in the state. They are making absurd remarks. ABVP had demanded a calendar for the higher education department and also for students’ union election. The Congress has been involved in corruption and they are doing such drama as their leaders are having an identity crisis.
