Kumar calls State BJP president ignoramus

Reacting to State BJP president’s allegation that development has halted in the State despite the Centre providing generous funds through NITI Ayog, Chief Minister’s media in-charge Surendra Kumar said the State BJP president does not seem to have any knowledge of NITI Ayog. Only an ignoramus can comment this way, he said. “We must remind them that we have been persistently asking the Centre for a special development package for the State. Our CM has met the Union ministers several times on the issue. But they are choosing to keep quiet, ignoring our legitimate demand,” he said.    

“The Centre having not fixed the contour of Niti Ayog is compounding our problems. Things remaining fragile, how can we raise demands before itIJ” he  asked. He advised state BJP president to study Union finance Minister Arun Jaitley’s 2015-16 Budget speech. “With  several projects having closed down, the employment generation is in peril. Resultantly, State development projects are slowing down,” Kumar said.

“State BJP president should also enquire as to whether Niti Ayog has issued any clear cut guidelines on the funding pattern of the Union Government-aided projects for the State,” he said.Throwing a dare to BJP, he asked the Opposition party to clear its stance on the issue of special category status for Uttarakhand. “Does the party think Uttarkhand should be given funding pattern of 90:10IJ With 350 villages being situated on disaster-prone areas, should the State be not provided funds by the Union GovernmentIJ” he asked. Dubbing BJP as party of cheap gimmicks, Kumar  said they are least bothered about the state’s interests. “For instance, when the Congress-led UPA Government was in power the same leaders raised the special category status and special package issues. Now, they have changed tracks after their party came to power,” Kumar said.