Police personnel lathi-charge Indian Youth Congress workers to disperse them during a protest in support of farmers and unemployed youth in Jaipur, on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024.
Credit: PTI Photo
Jaipur: Rajasthan Police today lathi-charged Youth Congress workers here, who were marching towards Chief Minister’s house, demanding reinstatement of youths working under the Yuva Mitra Scheme and also in support of agitating farmers.
Hundreds of Youth Congress workers were trying to march from the city's Shahid Samarak towards Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma’s house in central Jaipur, when they were stopped by police. As the protestors broke the barricades and tried to jump over them, the police first used water cannons and then lathi-charged the youths, creating chaos.
B V Srinivasan, national president of the Indian Youth Congress, was also present at the protest. Many workers are said to have suffered injuries during the lathi-charge. The protestors were bundled off in a bus from the site and later released.
Youth protestors first held a meeting at Shahid Samarak and had decided to gherao CM’s residence later. They were demanding that Rajiv Gandhi Yuva Mitra Internship Scheme, one of Congress’ flagship schemes, to provide internships to unemployed young graduates, which was scrapped by the new BJP government, be restarted and the youths be reinstated.
The scheme launched in 2021-22 employed around 5000 young graduates, who were placed in various government departments to publicise the government's welfare schemes and were given a stipend of Rs17,500 monthly.
The youths’ main work was to educate people about various schemes and ensure governance at the doorsteps. The scheme was discontinued on Dec 31, 2023, soon after CM Bhajanlal was sworn in on Dec 15.
The youths also demanded that the central government talk to the farmers and agree to their demand of MSP law. Srinivasan said this regime wants to muzzle the voice of the youths and is an 'anti-youth government'.
Meanwhile, Rampal Jat, national president of Kisan Mahapanchayat, was arrested today in Arai village in Ajmer district today. The Kisan Mahapanchayat had planned a tractor rally of about 500 tractors from various parts of Rajasthan to congregate in Jaipur and then move to Delhi in support of the farmers at Shambhu border, who have been trying to enter Delhi.
With the arrest of Rampal Jat, the farmers’ tractor rally fizzled out and the mission to reach Delhi was abandoned.
Meanwhile Jat leader and Khinswar legislator and Rashtriya Loktantrik Party chief Hanuman Beniwal condemned the arrest of Rampal Jat as unconstitutional in a tweet and demanded his Immediate release. He also demanded that the central government take immediate steps to fulfil the demand of MSP law on crops, warning that otherwise the farmers would never forgive them.