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Uttarakhand Congress leaders protest outside CM’s residence over Joshimath crisis
Congress leaders also got into a scuffle with the police after they stopped the protesters from moving towards the CM’s residence
Congress leaders and supporters, led by state party president Karan Mahara, on Tuesday staged a protest outside the chief minister’s residence in Dehradun over the Joshimath crisis.
Later in the day, they met CM Pushkar Singh Dhami at the chief minister’s camp office, and handed over a memorandum regarding relief and rescue operations, and suggestions from the party and locals about what can be done.
Earlier, Mahara had claimed that was not given an audience with the CM despite requesting for a meeting since January 6.
Congress leaders also got into a scuffle with the police after they stopped the protesters from moving towards the CM’s residence
“I had been seeking time from the CM since January 6. Our leader of opposition Yashpal Arya also sought time from the CM on Monday. But there has been no response from him. Who should we talk to if the CM of the state refuses to listen to us? None of the ministers is staying in Joshimath. Some of them go there in a chopper and returning within a few hours,” Mahara had said before the meeting.
He said that state Congress leaders, including Harish Rawat, Pritam Singh and Ganesh Godiyal, visited Joshimath over the past few days, and interacted with the affected people.
Mahara also rued that when the whole Joshimath town is on the verge of collapse, the state government has not even called a cabinet meeting. “The government should have called a cabinet meeting. An all-party meeting should have been called. How people in Joshimath could be provided relief, how this crisis can be dealt with, etc., should have been discussed with all.”
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“People in Joshimath have been talking about remedial actions since 2021, but nothing was done. The locals have been demanding the closure of a hydel power project, but nothing was done till the crisis aggravated,” he said.
Mahara alleged that the state government is showing gross insensitivity towards Joshimath crisis. “The fact that state BJP president Mahendra Bhatt visited Joshimath on Monday, so many days after the crisis aggravated, shows the seriousness of the BJP government towards the issue.”
State BJP media coordinator Manveer Singh Chauhan said that the Congress should help the state government and people of Joshimath at this juncture instead of playing politics over the issue. “The state government machinery and the chief minister are totally focused on dealing with the crisis. Affected people are being shifted to safer locations and relief is also being provided to them,” he said.
