Congress’ Rajya Sabha MP Manorama Dobriyal Sharma has lambasted the BJP for protesting against the State Government outside the Secretariat in Dehradun. She said that she had earlier written to the BJP MPs from Uttarakhand requesting them to raise important issues of the State with the Central Government. She said that the BJP leaders should protest outside the Prime Minister’s residence in New Delhi and if they include the issues raised by her she would join them in the protest.
Addressing the media here, the MP said that she had written to the BJP State president Teerath Singh Rawat suggesting that in stead of protesting outside the secretariat, the BJP leaders from Uttarakhand should protest outside the PM residence in New Delhi. She has stated in the letter to Rawat, “The BJP MPs and leaders of Uttarakhand should have raised the issue of bringing people of Uttarakhand under the ambit of reservation in Central Government services because the social, cultural, economic and geographical features of the State are similar to those States that have been provided such reservation. This was also a major issue during the Statehood movement.
The PM’s initiative to clean the Ganga river is incomplete without focus on Uttarakhand where the river originates. The proposal sent by the State for cleaning and preservation of the Ganga should be approved without delay.”The MP has further stated that with more than 64 per cent of its land area under forest cover, Uttarakhand’s proposal for Rs 2,000 crore green bonus should be approved by the Centre soon. Considering the vulnerability of Uttarakhand to natural disasters, the BJP leaders should raise the issue of the State’s needs and approval sought for the Rs 4,000 crore needed by the State for disaster relief and management works.
The Centre has not made any provision for revival of PSUs including IDPl at Rishikesh and HMT at Ranibagh, Haldwani apart from which resources have not been provided to the State for execution of the Swachh Bharat Mission. In her letter to the BJP State president, the MP has also raised the issue of development the network of roads, highway, railway network and other infrastructural development in Uttarakhand especially in view of the strategic importance of the State. “I believe that the BJP MPs, MlAs and leaders will rise above party politics and raise issues for development of Uttarakhand with the Central Government for which I am also ready to support them,” she stressed.