Heat building up across the State over the emotive issue of the capital shift from Dehradun to Gairsain, the parties other than BJP and Congress are clearing their stance.
While Samajwadi Party, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Uttarakhand Kranti Dal have pitched for the shift of the capital from the plains to the hills Bahujan Samaj Party has taken a stand in favour of the status quo.
While lending his party’s full support behind the demand for shifting the capital from Dehradun to Gairsain, SP State chief Kuldeep Rawat said that the then party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav had favoured the shift way back in 1994 when he was the chief minister of undivided Uttar Pradesh.
“The demand of the people is just and the State Government should announce the shift without dithering over the matter any longer,” he said.
AAP’s state secretary Rajesh Bahuguna said that his party is supporting the demand of the people over the matter.
“Both Congress and BJP are on the same page on the sensitive issue as they are wary of its repercussion on the prospects of the parties on the upcoming local body elections. But the time has come when they must make their stands clear as the people would no longer brook the two parties taking them for a ride,” he added.
UKD, the regional party of the State, while lending its full weight behind the demand said that they would stage demonstration outside the Assembly at Gairsain during the Budget session on the issue.
The party’s national president Diwakar Bhatt said that they would gherao Vidhan Sabha on the first day of the budget session on March 20 in support of Gairsain being declared the state capital.
“Even after completing one year in office, the BJP Government is still vacillating on the emotive demand.
In 1992 when the statehood agitation was at its peak, UKD pitched for Gairsain as the state capital of the state the party was demanding.
We demanded the town be named after the legendary Veer Chandra Singh Garhwali.
The focal point of the statehood movement was focused on Garisain as the capital.
In case the BJP Government fails to go for the long-awaited announcement we will start a full- blown people’s movement across the State on the issue,” he added.
However, BSP has chosen to tread a different path. Its state chief Choudhary Charan Singh said that his party’s stand on the matter is clear that Dehradun should be declared as the permanent capital of the state at the earliest to end speculation on the matter. “There is no point in shifting the capital now after huge amount has been spent here in building infrastructure befitting a state capital.
Dehradun is convenient to all in terms of transportation. People would face difficulties to reach Gairsain if the capital is shifted there.
The State being a new one should not indulge in the luxury of shifting the capital to another place.
The State Government should instead focus on the burning issues plaguing the State like migration, unemployment and under-development in the hills,” he said. ss