Haldwani buzzed with politics on Tuesday as the BJP and the Congress put heavyweights to flaunt or trash achievements as the Narendra Modi Government completed one year at the Centre. While the saffron party fielded Bhagat Singh Koshyari, former Chief Minister and MP from Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar Parliamentary Constituency to highlight Modi Government’s success in bringing about a turnaround in the developmental landscape of the country, the Congress entrusted the State Finance Minister Indira Hridayesh with the task of making the ‘flamboyant’ claims of the rival camp ring hollow.
But when Koshyari’s attention was drawn to the crumbling basic services like drinking water in different parts of his constituency he promptly shuffled the blame to the court of the State Government, saying the ruling party is looting the State with abandon. “The apathy of the State Government to improve things is making the people suffer from the breakdown of the basic service machinery,” he said, adding that they would come to power in 2017 Assembly election to bring things back on the right tracks.
However, at the same time, Koshyari said he has his focus fastened on implementing the long-pending Jamrani dam project to resolve the recurrent drinking water crisis plaguing Haldwani on a permanent basis. “This aside, I have been working on improving other basic services. Initiatives are being taken to improve train services and boost tourism sector. Efforts are on to fulfill the expectations of the people. Development works need time. Things cannot be done overnight. It would be visible in due course of time,” he said.
While lauding the Modi Government’s achievements in just one year, he said it has proved how small things rightly taken care of can result in big differences in the life of the people. Be it Jan Dhan Yojna or recently announced Pradhanmantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana or Pradhanmantri Surksha Bima Yojna or Atal Pension Yojna, these schemes are meant to give a sense of social security to the common people. “These social security schemes will definitely go a long way in changing things for the better in the long run,” he said.
However, ridiculing such claims, Hridayesh said that the people are suffering while the Modi brigade is beating their drums. “PM has made it a habit to go on foreign trips at the drop of his hats. Yet, contrastingly, he has not cared to visit even 10 states over the past one year. This smacks of his and his government’s utter insensitivity vis-à-vis the suffering multitude of India,” she said. “The fuel prices being hiked at regular intervals are adding to the woe of the common man,” she said.
Finally, she hit on a sensitive issue by alluding to the fact that the Centre has remained devoid of any representative from Uttarakhand. “This is despite the fact that the people here sent five BJP leaders to the Parliament during the 2014 general election. This amounts to humiliation for the people of hill State,” she said.