Khanduri past first hurdle easily

The BJP had fallen short of majority by a single seat in the recently concluded polls but has got the support of three-member Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UKD), a regional outfit, and three Independents.

Uttarakhand Governor Sudarshan Aggarwal had asked the Chief Minister to prove his majority on the floor of the House before March 20.

Initiating the discussion on the confidence motion, Harak Singh Rawat of Congress who was elected the Leader of Opposition after being selected by party president Sonia Gandhi to be the leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP), launched a blistering attack on the BJP-led government accusing it of spreading communalism and double standards.

He accused the Chief Minister of creating a feeling of insecurity amongst minorities by inviting Hindu religious leaders to his swearing-in ceremony. “Moreover, the claims of the Chief Minister to implement financial discipline were false as crores of rupees were spent on his swearing-in ceremony,” Rawat charged.

He also criticised the Chief Minister for announcing a ban on recruitment to government jobs. “The unemployed youth of the state have great expectations but the announcement by the Chief Minister to ban new jobs has thoroughly disappointed them,” he said.

After expressing his views, Rawat along with Congress legislators walked out of the House in protest against the confidence motion. Shehzad Ahmed, leader of the BSP, opposing the motion alleged that soon after Khanduri took over the reigns of the government, Muslim shops were ransacked and looted in Srinagar Garhwal on the pretext of protest against obscene CDs. “The entire community cannot be blamed for the misdeeds of one individual,” he added.

Diwakar Bhatt, leader of the three-member UKD, while supporting the motion hoped that the BJP government would work for the fulfilment of the dreams of the Uttarakhand statehood agitationists who made sacrifices for a separate state.

In his reply, the Chief Minister refuted the allegations made by the Leader of Opposition. He clarified that a sum of Rs 11.91 lakh was spent over the swearing-in function. “I want to categorically announce that there would be no discrimination against anyone in the name of caste, creed or religion. An inquiry has been ordered and culprits would be punished in Srinagar Garhwal incidents,” Khanduri said.

He further said his government had banned recruitments since there were large-scale discrepancies in the recruitments done by the previous government. “Even they were trying to give appointment letters during elections in clear violation of the code of conduct,” the CM said.