Dehradun: Main opposition BJP in Uttarakhand today advised Chief Minister Harish Rawat to stop his frequent visits to Delhi and address the problems being faced by people in the calamity-hit areas of the state.
“It is one and half years since a natural disaster devastated Uttarakhand but roads in the affected areas are still in a bad shape causing umpteen hardships to locals o a regular basis. But the Chief Minister is too busy making rounds of Delhi to address their woes,” Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly
Ajay Bhatt said in a statement today. Alleging that infighting in the ruling Congress has done irreparable harm to the state which is still struggling to deal with the aftermath of last year's calamity, Bhatt said, “the Chief minister must stop making frequent rounds of Delhi and pay his attention to problems faced by the people of the state.
“Factional war within the Congress with prominent leaders busy playing a game of oneupmanship is proving costly for the state, he said in reference to differences between former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna and Harish Rawat who are at loggerheads with each other.
“There is no clarity in the party regarding the status of seven-member PDF on whose support the Congress-led government survives.
Senior party leaders are in favour of removal of some PDF members of the cabinet to make room for their own favourites. Besides, ruling party MLAs are speaking openly against their own government for lack of development in their constituencies.
“This is a very sorry state of affairs to say the least. What positive steps can be expected of a government which is always in the damage control mode,” Bhatt said. Congress has 35 MLAs of its own in the 70-member Uttarakhand assembly and enjoys a majority in the house with the support of 7-member PDF.
Opposition BJP has 28 MLAs in the state assembly. There were reports in a section of the media here recently saying that former chief minister Bahuguna wants MLAs close to him to be given cabinet berths, a demand that implies removal of some PDF ministers to accomodate them. However, Chief Minister Harish Rawat has already ruled out a cabinet rejig.
