Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 25 Oct: Cabinet Minister Rekha Arya today launched a sharp attack on the Congress party’s Uttarakhand Nyaya Yatra and the party’s Uttarakhand in-charge Kumari Selja, alleging that the campaign lacks public connect and substantive issues. Arya claimed that the yatra has failed to generate public enthusiasm in the areas it has covered so far and reflects little more than a political exercise aimed at regaining lost ground.
Arya claimed that from Rudrapur and Kashipur in Kumaon to Chaubattakhal, Yamkeshwar, Kotdwar and Lansdowne in Garhwal, the Congress has failed to convince people through its campaign. According to Arya, people are questioning how a party that allegedly failed to deliver justice during its own tenure and within its organisation is now claiming to champion the cause of justice.
The minister alleged that every stop of the yatra has exposed what she described as political posturing and the Congress party’s anxiety over its declining support base. She said the issues being raised under the banner of “justice” have little connection with the real concerns of the people and that the campaign appears to be driven more by internal party compulsions and preparations for forthcoming elections than by any commitment to public service. Arya also asserted that the people of Uttarakhand are fully aware of what she termed the political theatrics behind the programme and would not be influenced by such initiatives.
Referring to Kumari Selja’s political record, Arya said that when Selja served as co-in-charge of Uttarakhand during the 2017 Assembly elections, the Congress was reduced to 11 seats. She further alleged that Selja had failed to strengthen the party during her tenure as Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee president and subsequently as the party’s in-charge in Chhattisgarh. Arya claimed that after setbacks in multiple states, Selja is now attempting to create confusion in Uttarakhand through the Nyaya Yatra.
Citing the Ankita Bhandari case, Arya asserted that the State Government under CM Dhami had acted firmly from the very beginning without yielding to any pressure. She said the main accused were arrested promptly, SIT was constituted and strong legal representation was ensured before the court. She maintained that the Dhami government remains fully committed to women’s safety and empowerment.
Arya said that instead of conducting what she described as a “pretence” of a justice campaign in Uttarakhand, Selja should answer questions regarding crimes against women in Congress-ruled states and address her own political failures. She said the Congress should focus on introspection rather than attempting to lecture Uttarakhand on issues of justice and governance.
