Now, U’khand CM says US enslaved India for 200 yrs

Tirath Singh Rawat made these comments during a function in Ramnagar on Sunday in connection with the International Day of Forests.

Published on: Mar 22, 2021, 24:07:29 IST

By Neeraj Santoshi, Kalyan Das, Dehradun

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After the “ripped jeans” faux pas, Uttarakhand’s new chief minister Tirath Singh Rawat on Sunday courted another controversy by saying “the US enslaved India for 200 years” and questioned people’s complaints about getting less subsidised ration during the pandemic, saying they should have had more children if they wanted better supplies.

Tirath Singh Rawat said at one time “we were ‘ghulam’ (slaves) of the US for 200 years, it was ruling over the world, it was said the sun would never set for it, but now, in the present time, all that has gone...”. (HT PHOTO) (HT_PRINT)

Rawat made these comments during a function in Ramnagar on Sunday in connection with the International Day of Forests. Rawat said at one time “we were ‘ghulam’ (slaves) of the US for 200 years, it (US) was ruling over the world, it was said the sun would never set for it, but now, in the present time, all that has gone...” He said the US was now struggling to control the pandemic. Rawat said the government gave 5kg rice per head to every household. “Those families who had 10 members got 50 kgs, those who had 20 members got one quintal, those who had two members got 10 kgs. People made stores, found buyers… such good rice came, they hadn’t taken it in their normal life… that too during ‘aapdha’ (disaster) time. But even after this, people were jealous of each other, that one got 10 kgs and another got one quintal… who is at fault in all this? He bore 20 children and you two children… why jealous? When there was time, you bore only two children, why not 20?”

Last Tuesday, Rawat said at an event on containing substance abuse that “showing bare knees by wearing ripped jeans just to look like rich kids is the value given now which is just a race towards westernisation when the western world today is following us. Ripped jeans pave the way for societal breakdown”.

State Congress spokesperson Garima Dasauni said, “Don’t know what has happened to the CM. Is it lack of wisdom or lack of education or is he doing it deliberately?....” He accused CM Rawat of insulting people for their poverty citing his statement on giving good quality rice in ration kits during the lockdown. “He said the government gave rice which people could never have afforded, which only insults the poor. Being the CM of the state, he should carefully look after his language...”

The BJP, however, accused the Congress of “only seeing the negativity”. Devendra Bhasin, BJP state vice-president, said, “The CM spoke about employment schemes for the youth in Corbett Tiger Reserve but the Congress could see only the negative part because they have become devoid of issues. The CM is doing commendable work for the development of the state.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Neeraj Santoshi
Neeraj Santoshi is the Chief of Bureau for Hindustan Times in Uttarakhand, where he leads the state reporting team while covering government, politics, environment, wildlife, Uttarakhand High Court, and issues shaping the Himalayan region. With more than two decades in journalism across conflict zones, he has covered politically sensitive regions and environmentally fragile landscapes, and focused on stories that combine public interest with in-depth storytelling. An alumnus of Pune University with a Master’s in Communication Studies, he has reported extensively from Jammu & Kashmir (2003-2010), Madhya Pradesh (2010 to 2018 ) and Uttarakhand (Since 2018), covering subjects ranging from insurgency, elections and governance to wildlife conservation, mining, climate change, agriculture, human rights and social justice. He has covered politics and legislative assemblies of both Jammu & Kashmir and Madhya Pradesh over more than a decade. Before taking over as Chief of Bureau in Uttarakhand, he served as Special Correspondent with Hindustan Times in Madhya Pradesh and earlier reported for both Hindustan Times and The Indian Express in Jammu & Kashmir, where he covered state politics, environment and insurgency-related developments. Over the years, his stories have focused on environmental degradation, wildlife, illegal mining, governance and the changing social fabric of Himalayan states and Central India. He is particularly interested in long-form explanatory journalism, and stories that explore the intersection of ecology, conservation, governance and society. Outside the newsroom, Neeraj enjoys reading widely on neuroscience, consciousness studies, Artificial Intelligence and quantum physics, with a special interest in Kashmiri Tantric Shaivist traditions. He is also passionate about wildlife, mountaineering and the Himalayas, interests that continue to inform his reporting and deepen his understanding of the region he covers.Read More
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kalyan Das
Kalyan Das covers crime, transport, human rights and central government offices from Bhopal and Indore.Read More

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