With a larger bench of the Uttarakhand High Court ordering a stay on the earlier order of the single bench for conducting a floor test in the Vidhan Sabha on March 31, the Congress leadership here has expressed concern for the State’s image affected by recent political dissent and imposition of President’s rule. The Congress State-in-charge Ambika Soni also arrived here and held meetings with party MlAs and senior leaders on Wednesday.
Speaking to the media at the Congress Bhawan, the Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee president Kishore Upadhyay said that the party has faith in the Indian judicial system. Responding to the High Court double bench order, he averred, “We are not looking for political profit or loss from the High Court decision. However, we are concerned about the stain on Uttarakhand’s positive image caused by the political machinations of the BJP. The State had regained the confidence of people from across India who had resumed undertaking the Char Dham pilgrimage after the 2013 disaster. I am concerned about the impact of such politics on the public image of Uttarakhand and its effect on the Char Dham Yatra which generates income for thousands of people in the State.”
“Dubious politics has also caused a drop in confidence of the public in elected public representatives. We are concerned about how to clear the stain of dubious politics of the BJP. The drought like condition in Uttarakhand is also another major concern,” he said.
Referring to the Centre’s stance in the case, Upadhyay opined that the BJP may have realised the flaw in its position. “I suggest that instead of perpetuating legal intricacies, the BJP should focus on how the State will regain its position affected by the Centre’s draconian step of recommending imposition of president’s rule in Uttarakhand. The Centre should acknowledge the error in its action and focus on corrective action. We are confident that our position will be substantiated by the constitution,” he added.
On being asked about the nine turncoat Congress MlAs, the PCC chief said that he had remained in touch with them and other MlAs. Upadhyay said that he had talked to dissident party MlA and former CM Vijay Bahuguna on Tuesday, adding that other turncoats had also maintained communication with the party. Some of those MlAs and even BJP members have expressed regret at the recent political developments. The party believes that various issues can be resolved through deliberations, he said, though he desisted from making any specific statement on the party’s plan of action regarding the turncoat MlAs.
