A two-day special session of the Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly commenced today to mark Uttarakhand’s birth anniversary. Discussions focused on the future of Uttarakhand. The special session, which continued late into the evening, was adjourned until 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday.
During the discussion, Leader of the Opposition Yashpal Arya said, “We have come a long way in our 25-year journey of development, experiencing many ups and downs. I want to wish the people of Uttarakhand a Happy Statehood Day.” On November 9th, everyone’s faces were refreshed and joyous. Everyone hoped their dreams would come true. Everyone was happy that they had acquired an important heritage. But we must turn the pages of the past. No party or religion contributed to this; everyone pledged to create Uttarakhand.
We will ensure our victory through non-violence. The Congress session in Srinagar is etched in the pages of history. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru attended. Then-leaders Pratap Singh Negi, Narendra Singh Bisht, and Raja Manvendra Shah fought for separation from Uttar Pradesh in various places. There were also frequent protests in Delhi. Harish Rawat became the convener of the committee formed. Senior party leader Sonia Gandhi played a significant role in the parliamentary committee formed to form three states. The resolution for the creation of smaller states was passed at the Calcutta session. Former Prime Minister Deve Gowda had announced the creation of a separate state of Uttarakhand from the ramparts of the Red Fort, with Pandit Narayan Dutt Tiwari playing a key role. A draft was prepared then, but due to political reasons, it was not passed in Parliament. The Deve Gowda government fell, but no one else could muster the courage. In 1989, the NDA government was formed. A movement for a separate Telangana state was also underway during the late Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s government. On July 25, the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly passed the State Reorganization Bill, but the Atal government lacked a majority at the center. His government could not pass the bill. Then, under Sonia Gandhi’s leadership, 112 Congress members supported it, and the bill was passed. This bill could not have been passed without Congress support.
Heated debate between Leader of the Opposition and MLA
A heated debate took place in the House between Leader of the Opposition Yashpal Arya and MLA Banshidhar Bhagat. The MLA told the Leader of the Opposition he couldn’t understand anything. Congress MLAs taunted that such a senior member had to stage a protest under his own government.
The 25-year journey must be seen from the perspective of the mountains. There was the Chipko movement. Women would stand up with sickles to protest against liquor shops. Our mothers, sisters, and daughters raised their voices even in Delhi. Their sentiments must be understood. Hopes are fading. Liquor shops are opening in the pilgrimage cities of Rishikesh and Yamunotri.
Double-engine government, Uttarakhand drowned in debt
A debt of Rs 40,000 crore in 2017 crossed Rs 1 lakh crore in 2025. What is the reason? Has the government taken any concrete steps to increase income? Has it taken initiatives to increase productivity? The government is borrowing between 200 and 300 crore rupees every month from the market. Revenue growth in 2016-17 was 19.50%, but now it has fallen to 11%. Our situation on the Hunger Index is pathetic. Per capita income, which had reached 1.73 lakh, has now stagnated. We haven’t been able to move beyond that. Unemployment is the highest in the country. 1,200 villages have been deserted. Many have been declared ghost villages. 3.5 million people have migrated since the state was formed. The Migration Commission’s report indicates that 55% migrated due to lack of employment, 15% due to education, and 10% due to poor health services. Even today, 1.5 million are unemployed…over 100,000 posts are vacant. The Subordinate Services Selection Commission was responsible for filling these posts, but the cheating mafia, close to the government, talks of cheating jihad. Young people are forced to take to the streets. This is the bleak picture of the state of Uttarakhand. The BJP government has painted a bleak picture. The paper was leaked. The condition of hospitals is such that they have now become referral centers. A voice has been raised from Chaukhutia. They are traveling on foot to Dehradun. They are ordinary people. It would have been better if a responsible minister had gone and justified the demand, ensuring that specialized doctors would be there. Why shouldn’t satellite centers be opened in border districts? Women give birth while trying to reach the main road? The entire country is witnessing this picture of Devbhoomi. Uttarakhand will become the best state in the country in 2047, but that is still a long way off.
The issue of George Everest’s land also heated up in the House. The Tourism Department takes loans to beautify this land. This land is rented out at a rate of Rs 1 crore annually. Initiatives should be taken to make barren land fertile. Attempts are being made to snatch the land of the weaker sections, SCs, and STs.
There is a nexus between the liquor mafia and the land mafia. They openly enjoy the protection of officials. It was unimaginable that the bureaucracy could be so autocratic. During the district panchayat elections, 6 of our members were abducted at gunpoint in Nainital. Cases were filed against us. We had demanded suspension of the SSP of Nainital. We had demanded removal of the DM. The government protects such officers. The time will come. Times will change. Everyone will be held accountable.
Scheduled tribe women were excluded from the UCC. Were they from outside the state? 4% of the tribe resides here. Were they not entitled to gender equality. Different land laws for two districts and different laws for 11 districts? It was said that the Harish Rawat government had given compensation on the basis of individual assessment at the time of Kedarnath disaster, but did the government help the disaster affected today? The government should provide the data of rehabilitation in the disaster.
