A couple of months after forming a non-political front to focus on state-specific developmental issues, the former director-general of the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) Vinod Kumar Bahuguna has now entered the political sphere. He has been newly elected as the head of the Uttarakhand Raksha Morcha (URM).
Stating that the political front will contest the coming Vidhan Sabha election, he stressed that their aim is to encourage a culture of ethical politic and development of the new generation of political leaders.
Addressing the media at the press club here on Wednesday, Bahuguna said that his decision to enter political body was based on the feedback from the public of the mountain state who were in general of the opinion that working as a non governmental organisation is not as effective as working through the political sphere to bring about the desired level of development and ethical aspects in the polity and socio-economic sphere of Uttarakhand.
He said, “The recent political happenings in Uttarakhand have become the butt of jokes being made about the situation in the state. The degeneration and selfish politics being induldged in. We want to encourage a new political alternative which is clean and not guided by selfish motives. Our aim is to prepare the younger generation for undertaking the role of ethical political leaders not tainted by corruption.
The politicians at present are guided by their leaders in Delhi. We have also decided that barring the Congress and BJP, our Morcha will join hands with political parties with similar ideology and such organisations to raise level of public awareness on these state-specific issues,” he said.
Other office bearers of the URM including SS Pangti opined that the national parties had done little to facilitate the necessary measures in the interests of the State and the welfare of its people.