New Delhi, 11 June (H.S.):

The Congress party has announced a nationwide agitation over issues including examination paper leaks, rising petroleum prices, the rejection of Congress leader Meenakshi Natarajan’s Rajya Sabha nomination in Madhya Pradesh, and the country's economic situation. The campaign will be conducted over the next two to three months, beginning at the block level and extending to the national level. The party said a detailed programme for the movement will be released in the coming days.

The announcement was made by Congress General Secretary (Organisation) K. C. Venugopal after a nearly three-hour meeting of party general secretaries, state in-charges, and Pradesh Congress Committee presidents held in New Delhi on Thursday.

Raising the issue of Meenakshi Natarajan, Venugopal said her Rajya Sabha nomination in Madhya Pradesh had been rejected despite there being no criminal case, First Information Report (FIR), or charge sheet against her. He alleged that, in contrast, a corporate candidate backed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Jharkhand had his nomination accepted despite several discrepancies in the nomination papers.

Venugopal said the development reflected what he described as the deteriorating state of Indian democracy. He alleged that after “vote theft,” the country was now witnessing “seat theft.” He asserted that the Congress would challenge the matter both legally and politically.

He further stated that the meeting also discussed the prevailing political and economic situation in the country. According to him, the prices of petrol, diesel, and cooking gas have continued to rise, placing an increasing burden on ordinary citizens, while the government has failed to take adequate corrective measures.

The Congress leader claimed that unemployment had reached alarming levels and that the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector had been severely affected. He said young people were facing a deep employment crisis, while students remained concerned about issues related to examinations such as NEET and CBSE. He accused the government of failing to accept moral responsibility for these concerns.

Venugopal said that while democratic institutions were facing challenges, ordinary citizens were simultaneously struggling with livelihood-related difficulties. In such circumstances, he added, the Congress would reach out directly to the people, listen to their grievances, and fight on their behalf.

He stated that every party leader and worker would take to the streets as part of the campaign. The final schedule and structure of the nationwide agitation, he said, would be announced shortly.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar