As the Congress leaders raised the heat on Gairsain inside the Assembly, the supporters of Gairsain movement organised demonstration outside it.
The Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UKD) workers tried to block the highway at Jangalchatti near Bharadisain. The police personnel had a tough time in managing the agitators and regulating the traffic. Many legislators, officials and mediapersons heading to the Assembly at Bharadisain remained stuck in the jam caused by attempted road block by UKD workers for hours.
The vehicle of Cabinet Minister Madan Kaushik was also stopped by the agitators at Jangalchatti. The policemen had a hard time in controlling the crowd after which the Minister’s vehicle was allowed to pass. At Diwalikhal just outside Veer Chandra Singh Garhwali Assembly campus at Bharadisain a massive agitation was staged.
Talking to the newspersons the central president of the UKD, Diwakar Bhatt, termed Gairsain as the soul of Uttarakhand statehood movement.
He said that Gairsain should have been declared as the State capital in the year 2000 itself. Bhatt said that the people of the State now want that the government should not delay the all important announcement on Gairsain any further.
Congress leader and former deputy speaker Anusuya Prasad Maikhuri said that people in all parts of the State are agitated on the issue of Gairsain. He said that Government should respect the sentiments of people of the state and declare Gairsain as permanent capital of Uttarakhand. Former MlA Pushpesh Tripathi said that the talk of summer and winter capital is an attempt to divert the attention of the people.
Many agitators including some women were successful in reaching just outside the MlA hostel tearing the security cordon in the process. Raising slogans in favour of Gairsain as permanent state capital, Radha Devi a resident of Gairsain said that the people of the state would not take rest till the declaration is made. “If the government has no plan to make Gairsain the permanent state capital then why have they acquired our landIJ’’ she questioned. These agitators were forcefully shifted out of the assembly premises.
The police was again on its toes as some agitators during the post lunch session appeared from the nearby hills and descended at the water tank just behind the state assembly.
However, they were stopped by the police from advancing further towards the assembly building. The District Magistrate of Chamoli, Ashish Joshi tried to pacify the angry agitators but failed. The police later arrested them and shifted them outside the Assembly premises.