Karnal sees spurt in protests as assembly polls draw closer

With assembly elections round the corner in Haryana, Karnal, the constituency of chief minister Nayab Singh Saini, is witnessing a surge in protests by employee unions.

In the last one month, over 10 state-level sit-ins have been staged opposite the district secretariat office in Sector 12 and chief minister’s residence in Prem Nagar.

As per data sourced from the deputy commissioner’s office, 55 memorandums have been submitted by the protesting unions in June and July, with most addressed to the Haryana CM, chief secretary, and other government officials. A few were also addressed to the President of India, Prime Minister of India, CEO of Ayushman Bharat Yojana, officials said. The number of memorandums submitted in these two months is nearly double of what was seen in the lead up to the Lok Sabha elections, sources in the DC office said.

The protests have led to business losses and inconvenience to residents near the protest hotspots.

Devender Sodhi, a resident of Prem Nagar where the CM’s residence is located, said, “Commoners like us face the harassment due to these frequent protests and barricading.”

Ravi Arora, a resident of Dyal Singh Colony, said that due to the ongoing protests, there is traffic chaos all around Sector 12. “The major banks and even the court is located here, but we avoid going to these places due to the traffic issues,” he said.

A police spokesperson said that traffic diversions have been made to minimise the inconvenience for commuters.

Reacting to the protests, CM Saini said, “People’s expectations from the government have grown. They know that the BJP government can deliver.”

He assured the protesters that their concerns will be addressed, saying, “The process takes time. We will form the government again in two months, and all pending tasks will be completed.”