Congress did not even allow discussion on Dharali disaster: Dhami on House disruptions

Dehradun, Aug 20 (PTI) Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Wednesday sharply criticised Congress legislators, saying their repeated disruptions during the Monsoon session of the Uttarakhand Assembly did not even allow a discussion on the Dharali disaster.

The House was adjourned sine die before lunch on Wednesday, ending a monsoon session that lasted just one and a half days.

Congress MLAs have been protesting alleged rigging in the state panchayat elections and "deterioration" of the law and order situation and even spent the night inside the House in protest.

Dhami slammed the Congress for spending the whole night inside the House and termed it a "drama by the issueless opposition to gain cheap popularity".

After the Monsoon session was adjourned indefinitely, Dhami said the MLAs had reached the state summer capital, Gairsain, after facing many challenges, including blocked roads due to the rains, and the state government had prepared for a longer session so that issues of public interest could be discussed.

"But the opposition was in no mood to run the session here from the very first day because their personal issues and personal interests were coming in the way of running it," the CM said.

Before the start of the session on Tuesday morning, too, Dhami said he met the Leader of the Opposition and requested him to cooperate in running the session properly, but the entire day, including the Question Hour, was marred by the Opposition's uproar.

He said the biggest issue of the time is the disasters that have occurred in many places in the state, including Dharali of Uttarkashi and Saanji village of Pauri, Paithani and its surrounding areas, for which everyone should rise above politics and stand with the victims but due to the uproar, this issue could not be discussed.

During the session, the opposition did not allow discussion on many important bills, including the Uttarakhand Minority Education Bill, Loktantra Senani Samman Bill, anti-conversion bill and the supplementary budget, the chief minister said.

After the proceedings ended on Tuesday night, he had requested the Leader of Opposition Yashpal Arya and other senior Congress MLAs to end their protest, assuring them that all their issues would be resolved through talks, he said.

"Everyone saw how they created a ruckus, the assembly secretary's table was overturned, mikes were broken and the papers of the assembly's agenda were thrown away," the chief minister said.

"My mike stopped working and I had to go to the back table to pay tribute to the late former MLA Munni Lal Shah," he added.

Dhami said this was evidence of their "frustration and disappointment".

"They wanted to avenge their defeat in the panchayat elections by harming the House, which runs with the hard-earned money of the people." On the recently concluded panchayat elections, the CM said that polls were conducted properly everywhere in Nainital. People have rejected the Congress even in the panchayat polls after the general and state elections, he said.

If there was any law and order problem anywhere, police officers posted there have been transferred, Dhami said, adding that an investigation has also been ordered into the matter. PTI DPT SKY SKY