Taking note of a Cabinet Minister’s statement, saying sarcastically that Chief Minister Harish Rawat has resolved to go alone (Ekla Chalo) a la the famous Tagore song on announcement of projects, leader of the Opposition Ajya Bhatt said on Wednesday that the people should pity the State Government and the Chief Minister in their predicament. “Blaming the Centre would not do.
Everybody knows how public funds are being siphoned off recklessly. However, CM keeps on announcing projects, one after another, regardless of the fact that the coffer is nearly empty. The Cabinet Minister said that CM is for treading alone as he is not willing to take others of the Cabinet on board for all he is announcing. This reflects badly on the collective responsibility of the Cabinet. The statement also exposes the growing intra-party bickering in the ruling Congress,” he said.
Referring to CM pleading innocence regarding the liquor scam, he said the State Government is sounding paranoid being embroiled in grafts. “This is why they are saying that the liquor scam CD was produced to blackmail the officers and malign the image of the State Government. Cheif Minister pleads his ignorance of the episode that clearly depicts his personal secretary seeking money on behalf of him from a liquor baron. If he is confident of his integrity he should go for a CBI probe. If he does so the move would help him to pretend innocence at least till the time CBI comes out with its report,” the BJP leader said.
Referring to the Cabinet minister, he said he had stated the right thing, saying that CM is landing the bureaucrats in trouble. “This clears his intention that he is out to reap cheap dividends out of such flippant promises,” he said. He further said the state government is going for populist profligacy in the arena of education too. “
The minister said that there is need to strengthen the resources of the existing colleges instead of going for new degree colleges in the state. What is clear is that CM is indulging clap-traps to the detriment of the long-term academic interests of the state,” Bhatt said.