After 5-yr exile, SP hopes to take Uttarakhand by storm

The Samajwadi Yuvjan Sabha has announced a series of demonstrations against the delay in the formation of a separate state of Uttarakhand at all the district headquarters of Garhwal division from December 22. This will be followed by a student and youth rally here on January 19, 2000.

The delay by the Vajpayee Government in bringing the Uttarakhand Bill in the winter session of Parliament has led to resentment among the common people of the hills.

The SP, which was seen to be a villain due to the controversial stand taken by Mulayam on the inclusion of Udham Singh Nagar district in the proposed state, has decided to focus on the massive unemployment in the hills.

After a two-day brainstorming session, which was attended by more than hundred young delegates from all the districts of Garhwal, it was decided to form an `Uttarakhand Berojgar Sena’ to fight for employment as a right of all people living within the boundaries of the proposed state of Uttarakhand.

Suryakant Dhasmana, national vice-president of the Samajwadi Yuvjan Sabha, said that more than 10 lakh youths are without jobs and most of the political parties have tried to hoodwink the people by not highlighting the real issues which were behind the demand for a separate hill state. He added that most of the districts proposed to be included in the hill state are without any industries and the primitive agricultural practices promise nothing.

He alleged that the BJP-led government of UP had appointed mostly school teachers from the plains, ignoring the claims of the educated youth of the hills. Similarly, he alleged, that more than 900 youths were working as private labour at the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) headquarters here.

He said the Sena would give a constructive turn to the Uttarakhand agitation by linking it up with unemployment and preserving the precious water resource of the hills which were allegedly being sold to private companies by the state government for hydro-electric projects.

The party has shown its presence in the recently-concluded parliamentary elections by getting more than 50,000 votes in two of the total of four constituencies of Uttarakhand region. Dhasmana said the tremendous response given by the youth to the party indicated that there was a vacuum of legitimate opposition in the hills because of the ineptness of the main opposition Congress party.

But what will be Mulayam’s stand on the controversial issue of inclusion of Udham Singh Nagar district in the proposed state. Senior party leaders here feel that with a Garhwali daughter-in-law at home, Mulayam would be persuaded to mellow down.