BJP, Cong failed to resolve capital issue, alleges UKD

Tribune News Service

Haridwar, August 19

The Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (Progressive) yesterday criticised both Congress and BJP for their failure to provide the state a permanent capital even more than 14 years after its formation.

UKD central secretary Uday Ram Semwal criticised the Congress for raking up the issue of delimitation of Assembly and parliamentary seats in the state earlier and now the proposed Assembly session at Garisain. He said it was just an attempt to divert the attention of people from the disaster relief fund irregularities and the sting CD scandal involving former personal secretary of Chief Minister Harish Rawat.

Semwal, while addressing party workers at a meeting here today, said when the delimitation process was going on in 2007, the Congress government and the opposition BJP didn’t oppose the delimitation norms.

The UKD had staged protests in Pauri, Nainital and Dehradun against the delimitation, demanding relaxation in norms for the hill constituencies, and making these area and not population specific.

On the proposed Assembly session in Gairsain, Uday Ram said instead of holding a session in tents, the government should allocate funds for the construction of the Assembly building at Bhararisain in Gairsain.

He cited Assembly Speaker Gobind Singh Kunjwal’s comments yesterday on the failure of respective state governments since 2000 to ensure development of the hill region and the Gairsain issue and expressed happiness that at least someone from the Congress had the guts to speak the truth.

UKD youth wing president Lalit Mamgain demanded Gairsain to be made the permanent capital of Uttarakhand and said just making Gairsain the summer capital would not do any good to the hill state, as 85 per cent of the state comprises the hill region.

He said Dehradun was made interim capital when Uttaranchal was formed on November 9, 2000, and hence constructing another Assembly building here would hurt the sentiments of the people.

Central organisation secretary Anil Pokhriyal demanded a CBI probe into the involvement of former personal secretary of Chief Minister Harish Rawat in the alleged excise bribery scam as exposed in a sting CD.

Pokhriyal sought explanations from Haridwar MP Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, Pauri Garhwal MP Bhuwan Chandra Khanduri, Nainital MP Bhagat Singh Koshiyari, Almora MP Ajay Tamta and Tehri Garhwal parliamentarian Raj Laxmi Shah for keeping mum on discontinuation of industrial package and delay in funds for the Ardh Kumbh fair by the Centre.