Fight between saving democracy versus prevalent dictatorship: Pradeep Tamta

Fight between saving democracy versus prevalent dictatorship: Pradeep Tamta

B.D.Kasniyal

Pithoragarh, March 16

Pradeep Tamta, Congress party candidate from Almora parliamentary constituency claimed that the forthcoming general election of parliament is crucial as it is going to a fight between  saving democracy and prevalent dictatorship and to save the Constitution that was envisioned by our freedom fighters under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi.

Talking to this correspondent during his first visit to Pithoragarh assembly segment of Almora (reserve) parliamentary constituency, the Congress candidate said that the country has lost democratic institutions one by one under BJP rule led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Pradeep Tamta, who is taking on his traditional rival Ajay Tamta of ruling BJP for the 4th time has represented this constituency in Lok Sabha from the year 2009 till 2014, and remained Rajya Sabha member from 2016 to 2022 from the state.

The Congress candidate said that he had first raised the problems of the constituency in parliament when he was elected MP in the year 2009.”The demands of rail line from Tanakpur to Bageshwar, motor road from Tanakpur to Jauljibi and rail link from Ramnagar to Chaukhutia were first raised by me in the parliament. Had the present BJP MP worked on these demands after his election to parliament since 2014, the rail link would have reached  these places before 2025, when the Garhwal region is likely to be linked with rail network,” said Pradeep Tamta.

Congress candidate said that BJP regime in the last decade of it’s rule not only snatched the traditional livelihood of military service of hill people by introducing a four year ‘Agniveer scheme’ in army but has also snatched special status of Uttarakhand state.

According to Pradeep Tamta, the foundation stone of the motor road from Tanakpur to Jauljibi was first laid by Congress Union Minister Shusheel Kumar Shinde in the year 2013.

“The BJP government could not run air services from Naini-Saini airport, that was constructed by Congres government,” said Tamta.

The Congress candidate said that BJP government at center could not fulfill its promises in last 10 years of its rule in the country.”Neither the promise of providing two crore employment to youth per year nor black money could be recovered. The BJP government also failed to double the income of farmers till the year 2022 and could not provide roofs to all homeless people in the country as promised”, said Tamta.

Asked about the ongoing agitation about tougher land laws and  permanent residence criterion, the Congress candidate said that it was former Chief Minister  Narayan Dutt Tiwari, who first introduced tough land laws to save agriculture land in the hills but successive BJP state government particularly headed by BJP Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat diluted the land laws allowing the land mafias to usurp agriculture lands in the state in the name of seeting up industry in the hills .

Pradeep Tamta said that he fully supports the agitation to save cultivable land in the hill region and feels that a strict law to preserve these lands be formed on the lines applicable in neighboruing Himachal Pradesh.