Nadda takes a dig at Rawat, PCC chief for shifting bases

Tribune News Service & PTI

Dehradun, January 23

Accusing top Uttarakhand Congress leaders of giving up their constituencies in the hills and moving to the plains out of a sense of insecurity, the BJP today said the state’s ruling party was going to the polls with a defeated mentality.

“Top Congress leaders, including Chief Minister Harish Rawat and Pradesh Congress Chief president Kishore Upadhyay, have shifted from their constituencies in the hills to the plains which was something unheard of. It shows their sense of insecurity,” Union Health Minister and BJP’s election in-charge for Uttarakhand JP Nadda told reporters here.

He said the migration of the youth from the hills to the plains in search of works was a known phenomenon but was unheard of for leaders.

“The Congress is going to the polls with a defeated mentality,” he claimed.

Switching constituencies by the Chief Minister and the Pradesh Congress chief showed their lack of confidence ahead of the elections, he said.

“Not only that, the Congress also seems short of candidates otherwise it would not have fielded candidates who were denied ticket by the BJP,” he said.

Shifting from Dharchula in the hills, a seat he represented in the last Assembly, the Chief Minister is to contest this time from two seats in the plains- Kichha and Haridwar (Rural).

Also, PCC president Kishore Upadhyay has been fielded from Sahaspur in the plains, instead of Tehri in the hills.

Also, Nadda flagged off eight campaign-vehicles, fitted with LED screens, to different directions from the party’s state office to drum up support for the party.

He claimed people were fed up with corruption and had made up their mind to elect BJP to power.

“People are tired of corruption and want a government which delivers. The BJP has had a track record of delivering in Uttarakhand. It not only created Uttarakhand, but also gave it special category status and an economic package,” Nadda said.

Fitted with LED screens, the eight campaign vehicles will tour different regions of the state and highlight steps taken by the Centre for the welfare of Uttarakhand, including the all-weather Char Dham road project— whose foundation stone was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 27 amid much fanfare.

Slogans like ‘Come with BJP and change Uttarakhand’, ‘Atal Ji ne banaya, Modiji sawarenge (ex-PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee created Uttarakhand, PM Modi will build it)’ are written on different sides of the campaign vehicles.

Claiming that demonetisation was a big step towards the country’s “economic cleansing”, Nadda said drastic measures like these “made people across the country optimistic” about their future under the leadership of Narendra Modi and it will be reflected in the elections.

Refuting the charge of promoting dynastic politics by giving tickets to more than one people from a family, he said, “tickets were distributed strictly on the basis of merit”.

“Winnability was a major criterion and surnames were not important. Moreover, it was a collective decision of the party not only mine,” he said when asked how both Munna Singh Chauhan and his wife Madhu Chauhan were given tickets by the party.

Union Health Minister meets sulking BJP leaders

Dehradun: Amid rebellion in the state BJP after distribution of the ticket for the Assembly poll, party’s state in-charge JP Nadda on Monday said it was tackling the problem in right earnest. “Ours is a democratic party, if some party leaders have said something within the party forum, it will be heard,” he added.

Sources in the party claimed that Nadda, along with Uttarakhand party affairs in-charge Shyam Jaju, met several party leaders who were denied ticket. “Around 28 leaders have been heard, others are being brought around with gentle reprimand,” said a senior BJP leader.

Talks were also held on the appointment of Teerath Singh Rawat as the state party president, but senior leaders refused to comment on the matter.

Similalry, efforts were also made to approach Asha Nautiyal, a contender for the Kedarnath seat, and Vijay Barthtwal from the Yamkeshwar seat. Both are undecided on filing papers as Independent candidates against the official candidates of the BJP.—TNS