Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 28 Apr: The one-day special session of the Uttarakhand Assembly convened by the Dhami government in support of the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam drew sharp criticism from Congress. National Spokesman of Congress Alok Sharma is currently in Dehradun and he addressed a press conference here today in this regard. Sharma called the convening of the special session of the state assembly as a futile exercise and a waste of public money. He described the session as a political spectacle aimed at pleasing the central leadership rather than addressing the real concerns of women in the state. Sharma alleged that the government is following the same path as the Prime Minister, who he said had used Parliament for political theatre at the cost of hundreds of crores of rupees, and accused the state of replicating that model.
Sharma questioned the expenditure of Rs 10 to 12 crores on what he termed a day-long electoral speech, asking who would be held accountable for such spending. He argued that until issues arising from the 73rd and 74th constitutional amendments are fully resolved in Parliament and Assemblies, obstacles would continue to hinder genuine empowerment. He added that, if the BJP took the initiative, Congress would go further in supporting women’s rights. Stressing that Congress has always been in favour of granting more seats to women, Sharma claimed that the party’s record in pushing reservation at the grassroots level was clear. He also ridiculed the Dhami government, suggesting it should revisit the Ramayan created under the guidance of Rajiv Gandhi, remarking that while BJP leaders rode on chariots like Ravan, Congress remained grounded, walking alongside the struggling masses, referring to the Padyatras undertaken by Rahul Gandhi.
Sharma further asserted that the government has no moral right to speak of women’s empowerment until justice is delivered in the Ankita Bhandari case. According to Sharma, only when the state ensures complete justice for her and other victims, it can legitimately claim to champion women’s rights. Until then, he said, the rhetoric of empowerment would remain hollow and the special session nothing more than political drama.
