Despite intense cold wave, political temperature soars with rallies in Uttarakhand
B.D.Kasniyal
Pithoragarh/ Haridwar
Despite severe cold wave sweeping the hill state, the political temperatures are soaring with both the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and main opposition Congress holding rallies in the entire length and breadth of Uttarakhand in the run up to the state assembly polls scheduled early next year.
BJP national president J.P. Nadda along with Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami kicked off the “ Vijay Sankalp rally” from Haridwar on Saturday which attracted large crowds. Speaking on the occasion, Nadda claimed that a lot of development has taken place in the last five years’ of BJP rule and appealed to the people to vote for BJP for continuous development in the state.
On Sunday, Union Minister Anurag Thakur along with Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami kicked off the “Vijay Sankalp rally” from Bageshwar in Kumoan region. Both the BJP leaders, highlighted the various achievements of the present BJP state government with an appeal to the voters to give another chance to the ruling BJP in the state.
On the other hand, opposition Congress started its’ “Bhajpai Dhol Ki Pol” programme from border district of Pithoragarh. Senior state party leaders including former Chief Minister Harish Rawat addressed an impressive gathering at Jhaulakhet ground of Moonakot block of the district.
“ The present BJP government in the state has stopped all the developmental works and is taking credit of developmental schemes and works started by previous Congress government and such a government needed to be ousted ,” said Harish Rawat who is also the chairman of the Congress Campaign committee of the state.
” During our tenure, we had launched schemes to promote local grains like Mandua, Madira, Kauni and pulses like Bhat and Gahat to give cash incentives to the local farmers, but BJP government stopped all these schemes in the past five years,” he charged.
He assured that if Congress comes back to power, it will start mass recruitments of all posts lying vacant in the BJP rule and will promote women to initiate cottage and small scale entrepreneurs in villages.” The Congress government had already given priority to Pithoragarh district during its previous regime and would continue to pay attention to the border areas and the poorer sections of the society,” he announced.
Besides Harish Rawat, Congress leader Yashpal Arya, Leader of Opposition in the state assembly Pritam Singh, Manish Khanduri, Jeet Ram and Ranjit Singh Rawat also addressed the rally.
The “Pol khol” rallies will be held in Almora, Pauri, Chamoli, Tehri, US, Nagar and Haldwani in the coming days to be addressed by senior party leaders.
Following up the “Vijay Samman rally” held to commemorate the Bangladesh 1971 war victory and honouring the martyrs and soldiers of the Indian Army on December 16, Congress party today started “ Veer Gram Pranaam Parikarma” programme in the villages of the martyrs and soldiers of Indian Army. In an attempt to blunt the “Vijay Samman Yatra” by the ruling BJP from the homes of martyrs of Indian army since First World War, the Congress is also carrying out a similar exercise.
Uttarakhand Congress Chief Ganesh Godiyal started the “ Veer Gram Pranaam Parikarma” programme from village Sain, the native village of former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat in Pauri Garhwal district on Sunday. Govind Singh Kunjwal, former assembly Speaker and senior Congress leader started a similar “ Veer Gram Pranaam Parikarma” programme from village Daniya in Almora district which is the native village of general B.C.Joshi, a former Indian army Chief.
Suryakant Dhasmana, Uttarakhand Congress Vice-President took out the “ Veer Gram Pranaam Parikarma” yatra in Kaulagarh area of Dehradun city by honouring the memory of Shaheed Neeraj Thapa, a martyr of the Indian army. .
