By Arun Pratap Singh
Garhwal Post Bureau
GAIRSAIN, 19 Aug: Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami today launched a sharp counterattack against the Opposition, accusing it of venting its frustration from repeated electoral defeats through disruptive behaviour in the Uttarakhand Assembly. Speaking to reporters at the Assembly complex after the uproar on the first day of the Monsoon session in Bhararisain (Gairsain), the CM termed the conduct of the opposition “very unfortunate” and claimed that such actions were against the spirit of democratic debate.
Dhami said the opposition has chosen to express its anger in the House after a string of setbacks in the Assembly, Lok Sabha, urban local body and more recently, panchayat elections. He added that Gairsain is the centre of the emotions within the BJP and that is why the government decided to hold the session here even during the monsoon, despite the challenges posed by road closures. All the MLAs and the officials travelled here braving the difficulties.
The Chief Minister also claimed that the government is ready to debate every issue, but however under the pretext of demanding a discussion on law and order, the Opposition had broken the rules and created ruckus inside the House.
He further defended the fairness of the panchayat elections, stating that wherever law and order problems were reported, the government took immediate corrective steps. He asserted that if elections were not fair, then how did the Congress win in Dehradun and Bajpur? In Nainital, the President is from the BJP and the Vice-President from Congress. This itself reflects transparency, he claimed. Attacking the Congress, Dhami alleged that it was a pattern for the party to make baseless allegations against EVMs, the Election Commission, governments and administrations whenever it loses elections anywhere in the country.
Referring to the unruly scenes in the Assembly, the CM said the decision of Congress MLAs to break the Secretary’s table and throw paper effigies in front of the Speaker was shameful and unfortunate. At a time when several important bills and the supplementary budget were to be presented in the session, such actions only showed the Opposition’s disregard for democratic forums. Dhami announced that the government is also bringing the Uttarakhand Madarsa Education Board Bill to extend benefits to educational institutions of all minority communities.
Dhami further said that the government was fully engaged in providing relief during the ongoing natural calamities in many parts of the state. The officials and the ministers were consistently on the ground conducting and monitoring the rescue and relief works respectively. He also shared that a relief package is being prepared for affected regions, including Dharali. The CM asserted that even in disaster relief, the Opposition is only spreading negativity instead of acknowledging the efforts. He reiterated that the government remains committed to transparent governance and meaningful debates in the House.
