Former State Education Minister Mantri Prasad Naithani blamed incompetency of ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Government for the deteriorating situation of education in the State. He headed a protest march and protest fast near Vidhan Sabha on Friday. Naithani along with Mahanagar Congress president Lal Chand Sharma and other supporters raised slogans against the Government’s decision to shift the proposed National Cadet Corps (NCC) academy from Devprayag to Pauri.
During the demonstration Naithani said, “It is a matter of great concern to the people of Uttarakhand. The local MLA seems to not worry at all on losing a national level institution from his area.” Blaming the state government he said that the way NCC Academy was shifted from Devprayag is objectionable.
Accusing the state Education minister Arvind Pandey of being uninformed about the entire matter he said, “Minister Pandey does not have full knowledge about the case, which is why when he gave statement during the session that there is no NCC Academy in Devprayag.”
Naithani said that he still has the copy of the Government Order (GO) that was issued by the then Harish Rawat government, but the proceedings to establish NCC Academy in Devprayag halted after the Congress lost in the last Assembly elections. Naithani threatened that if the government failed to change its decision then they will be forced to conduct a protest of much larger magnitude. Speaking about his next course of action Naithani said, “It is unfortunate that they are still asking for the GO when the foundation ceremony of the academy has already been done. So, from Saturday onwards we will go the residence of every BJP MLA of Tehri and the ministers concerned and submit our memorandum with all the supporting documents. They can judge it for themselves whether or not government’s decision should be reformed or cancelled.”
Naithani also said that if the government failed in taking proper actions in the case, they will then conduct a symbolic funeral procession of the present Government on December 17.