Rawat takes save democracy yatra to Haridwar

Bs_logoImage
Press Trust of India Dehradun
Last Updated : Apr 25 2016 | 9:22 PM IST
Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat today staged a padyatra in Haridwar accusing BJP of "murdering" democracy and asked people to teach a befitting lesson to the party for "destabilising" an elected government and "derailing" the state's development.
Accompanied by PCC President Kishore Upadhyay and a crowd of supporters, Rawat paid obeisance atthe Daksha temple in Kankhal near Haridwar and traversed a distance of six km on foot from the ancient temple to Har Ki Pairi to mobilise public opinion against the manner in which his elected government was dislodged in the state.
Rawat also accused the BJP of trying to drive a wedge between Congress and PDF MLAs but asserted that they stood united like a rock.
Rawat who also held rallies at Tharali, Narayanbagad, Karnaprayag and Gopeshwar in Chamoli district yesterday as part of the second phase of his save democracy yatra asked people to teach a befitting lesson to the BJP accusing it of hatching a conspiracy to topple an elected government, creating political instability in the state and derailing its development.
Rawat said though he had no idea when the clouds of political uncertainty will lift from Uttarakhand, the assembly elections were not far away and people had a chance to teach a lesson to those guilty of derailing the state's development.
Assembly elections in Uttarakhand are due early next year.
Rawat also highlighted the decisions taken by him in "public interest" at the two Cabinet meetings he chaired during the brief revival of his government recently in the wake of the High Court's verdict revoking President rule in the state on which a stay was put by the Supreme Court just a day later.
Though their implementation will depend largely on what the Supreme Court rules on April 27, Rawat took nearly a dozen populist decisions at the two cabinet meetings with an eye on assembly polls including reappointment of guest teachers and hiking their salary to 15000 per month, setting up a committee to look into reduction of land circle rates, a pension of Rs 3100 for identified statehood agitationists, an increase of Rs 200 in the pensions of widows, old women and the handicapped.
This is the second phase of Rawat's save democracy yatra which covered constituencies of rebel MLAs in its first phase.

You’ve hit your limit of 5 free articles this month.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.

Already subscribed? Log in

Subscribe to read the full story →
Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Access to Exclusive Premium Stories Online

  • Over 30 behind the paywall stories daily, handpicked by our editors for subscribers

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Apr 25 2016 | 9:22 PM IST