The Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) president, Kishore Upadhyay during his political trip to Kumaon for strengthening the Party’s bases at the grassroots in different Assembly constituencies spread over the region, has thrown a dare to BJP to either produce the original CD of the liquor sting operation or face an FIR to be lodged by him against it.
“I am now consulting my lawyers on this issue of lodging an FIR against the BJP leaders who are launching a disinformation campaign to malign the State Government. I might go for the step soon. Then the Opposition Party would have to prove its credentials by producing the original CD to enable the State Government to probe its authenticity,” he said on Tuesday.
Observers say the sting featuring the former PS to CM has left the ruling party jittery with the people questioning the integrity of the State Government and, particularly, the Chief Minister.
Stepping up pressure on the ruling party, State BJP aside from persistently demanding a CBI probe has decided to gherao the CM whenever he goes across the state. However, Congress had decided to take the sting out of the saffron campaign by playing development card to offset the graft card. “This is the reason why the state party president is harping on all-round development as envisaged by the State Government to counter the corruption card being played by the principal Opposition party. He continues saying that BJP is hell-bent on derailing development by maligning the state government on non-issues. But it is to be seen whether the ruling party’s development rhetoric would cut much ice with the electorate with the state Assembly election drawing near,” said an observer.