Reacting to the Congress MlAs’ allegation that the State Government has failed to address people’s grievances, the State BJP leaders blamed the ruling party MlAs for grappling with dissidence vis-à-vis the functioning of the Harish Rawat Government.
“This incident has further buttressed our claim that the State Government has failed to help the people in disaster-hit areas,” added the BJP leaders. CM Rawat, however, said that it is the duty of an MlA to ensure development in his constituency but it does not mean they are defying the State Government, he added.
Earlier, Kedarnath MlA Shaila Rani Rawat had vented displeasure with the State Government and now Pithoragarh MlA Mayukh Mahar, who is being known as a close confidante of the CM, has followed suit. He also alleged that their demands are yet to be addressed by the State Government.
If the State Government fails he is free to take stances – either for or against the State Government, he said. Enthused by the spectre of dissidence rearing its head, BJP leaders said that they kept consistently raising the issue of the disaster-affected people residing in makeshift houses.
Coming out to defend his government, the CM said it is the MlAs’ prerogative to raise their voices. They represent the people and this is why they are being called public representatives. It does not mean they are annoyed with the State Government. As far as BJP is concerned they are staging protest for the sake of protest because they do not bother to check with the facts and figures.
For instance, they are making comments against the preparation of Yatra but they should not forget the sorry state of the preparation for the earlier yatra when BJP leader Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank was in-charge of the yatra. Now he should leave it to the people of the areas falling along the Nanda Raj Jat Yatra routes. They would compare things of the preset and the past.