Contradictory voices emanating from within the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on holding the Assembly session at Gairsain, the opposition Congress has ramped up pressure on the State Government to clarify its stand on the emotive issue.
Taking a swipe at the perceived gulf between the stands taken by the Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat and the state BJP chief Ajay Bhatt on the Capital shift issue, the State Congress chief Pritam Singh said on Tuesday that the State Government now must clear its position on Gairsain, shedding its ambivalence. Singh said that the stand of his party on the matter has been clear all through. “The Assembly session was held at Gairsain for the first time during the Congress rule while BJP has done nothing on Gairsain expect engaging in rhetorical verbosity,” he said.
Launching a scathing attack on the BJP on the matter, the State Congress vice- president Surya Kant Dhasmana said that BJP has been exposed on the issue of Gairsain.
Talking to the media persons at the State party office on Tuesday, Dhasmana said that the statement of the State BJP chief was the collective view of the saffron party. “It is now crystal clear that BJP is not interested in the least to make Gairsain the Capital of the State. The party has never been serious on the matter. Had the party been serious the first Government of the State helmed by BJP would have taken initiatives in the direction,” he said.
He claimed that Gairsain had been brought into limelight in 2012 during the Congress rule when the first cabinet meeting had been held in a makeshift tent there. “Besides, the construction of the Vidhan Sabha and the secretariat building at Gairsain also started during the Congress rule. Despite enjoying a mammoth majority in the Assembly, BJP has not even placed a single brick at Gairsain. It is now clear to the people that the Congress alone can translate the dream of Gairsain being the Capital of the State into reality,” the Congress leader added.
More BJP ministers jump into Gairsain row
The Gairsain debate within the ruling BJP has gained steam further on Tuesday when senior Cabinet Minister Prakash Pant said that a session of the State Assembly should be held at Gairsain every year.
The State Forest Minister Harak Singh said that he was not in favour of holding Assembly session at Gairsain till all facilities were made available there. He clearly said that it was not proper to hold session to win some brownie points.
Notably, the row had been sparked after the State BJP chief Ajay Bhatt said that he was against Assembly session being held at Gairsain till infrastructural was put into place, a statement which prompted the Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat to say that holding Assembly session was a prerogative of the State Government and not the party.