Determined to keep the issue of the State’s Capital being shifted from Dehradun to Gairsain in Chamoli district alive during the election as Chief Minister Harish Rawat is all set to hold another session of the State Assembly at Gairsain at the end of this month.
Mention worthy, Gairsain saw the first session held in a makeshift building in 2014 and the second one in the newly constructed ITI building in 2015. To woo the electorate from across the State, Rawat is most likely to announce formation of some new districts from Gairsain during the session, say those privies to the CM office. Notably, this would be the third session being held within a span of one year, something that, as the observers feel, indicates the zeal of the CM to keep the pot boiling despite murmurs of Opposition being heard from within the ruling Congress.
It is a known fact that a majority of the leaders who count in the State Congress is opposed to the move to give Gairsain the status of the permanent capital of Uttarakhand.
Notably, when State party chief Kishore Upadhyay had announced that the party would take a final call on the emotive matter soon senior Cabinet Minister Indira Hridayesh and Harak Singh Rawat who were in the Cabinet and the Congress when Upadhyay made the announcement opposed the move tooth and nail. The duo, however, attended the session held at Gairsain in 2015 and did not pluck courage to ventilate reservation. The opposition BJP had torn into the Congress, seemingly delighted by the squabbling erupting in the ruling party ranks over the issue that still evokes enormous emotions among the mass of the State’s people.
The saffron leaders had put the ruling party leaders in the dock during the session, asking them to clear stance. The State Government had chosen to remain evasive, resulting in slugfest erupting in the House. The saffron camp had alleged that the CM had unleashed goons in the guise of the marshalls to throttle their voice.
In 20014 too, the Opposition camp had tried to make fun of the Government’s commitment on the issue. The saffron members had asked the ruling party leaders to show them the place where the foundation stone of the Assembly building was laid. However, things had not gone far at the time as the wily CM humoured the opposition MlAs by keeping them in the newly constructed MlA hostel in full comforts.
Now, the State Government planning to hold the session in the under-construction Assembly building is calculated to send the message home that they are clinging to their commitment to have the capital shifted from Dehradun to Gairsain.
The political circles are abuzz with speculations over what the CM has up his sleeves. He has been fighting shy of officially announcing the shift of the capital, given the strong dissension within the party. But this time around with the election round the corner, he might go for the much-awaited Governmental announcement on the matter that still stimulates fierce emotions even 16 years after the state’s formation, opine the Congress watchers.