Firing salvo against the State Government over the alleged discrepancy between the funds the Centre has released for the reconstruction of 2013 deluge–ravaged Kedarnath and what the State Government has showed by way of expenditure, the State BJP said that while the figure released by the Centre stands at over Rs1,000 crore the State Government has provided details for just Rs460 crore to the Centre. “This is the reason why the Centre is not now releasing the next instalment,” said former Chief Minister Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank on Saturday
“During the BJP regime, the State’s GDP was hovering around 9 per cent, but currently it has dwindled down to paltry 5.9 per cent. Instead of taking corrective measures, they have been awarding tenders to the black- listed companies,” the senior State saffron leader said, adding that the Chief Minister Harish Rawat had better quit in the interests of the State.
“These are instances galore justifying the fact that the State Government is promoting corruption to the detriment of the State’s development,” he said while invoking the sting CD that purportedly showed the then secretary to CM Mohammad Shahid seeking money from a liquor baron on behalf of the State government. “Being on the back –foot with the media and my party going viral on the emotive matter, the CM adopted a dillydallying approach, the motive being to shield the corrupt. He flatly refused to pave way for a CBI inquiry. Even today, they are delaying things asking for the master CD of the sting to be presented to the State government as a pre-condition to probe the matter,” Koshiari said .
Taking a swipe at the CM, he said while he is going overdrive, dishing out developmental announcements his government is burdening the people with more and more taxes to augment the coffers to clear its employees’ salaries. “This means that CM is taking the people for a ride, considering them gullible enough to gorge on his lies,” the former CM said.