Uttarakhand CM Dhami Slams Akhilesh Yadav Over Old Incidents

Haldwani, October 25: Taking aim at Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Saturday strongly condemned his remarks on Haldwani. Dhami said the state remembers the Khatima, Mussoorie and Rampur Tiraha incidents that occurred during the Samajwadi Party's time in power, and accused the leader of stirring painful memories through his statement.

At the same event, Dhami also outlined a new infrastructure initiative. He said a 75-metre bridge and a nearly 3.5-kilometre route are being constructed as part of the Amritpur-Kathgodam bypass. The project, he said, will bring real relief to motorists and tourists travelling to Almora, Pithoragarh, Bageshwar, Ranikhet and Kausani, who have long been stuck in heavy traffic in the area.

The route will run through the Danijala and Tirsala Ghat surroundings. Dhami said full funding has been sanctioned for the work. He added that he had convened a meeting with officials of the executing agency and the PWD department and instructed them to complete the project on priority, so that people can use it before the next tourist season.

Dhami said the road would make travel considerably easier and that the government wants to see it finished as soon as possible. He noted that the bypass would benefit both local residents and visitors who regularly pass through the region.

On Akhilesh Yadav's comments, Dhami asked what else could be expected from him. He recalled that during the tenure of Mulayam Singh Yadav as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, when P.V. Narasimha Rao headed the central government, the Khatima firing, the Mussoorie firing and the Rampur Tiraha episode took place. He described the Muzaffarnagar events as a period when all norms of dignity were broken, adding that the suffering of women from the region still lives in collective memory.

He said Yadav had once again reopened the old wounds of Uttarakhand's people and that such an unseemly statement was not expected from him. Dhami pointed out that members of Yadav's family have connections with Uttarakhand, and that his wife belongs to the state, which is why such remarks were unwarranted.

Dhami described Uttarakhand as a land of bravery and divinity. He said its soldiers had shown extraordinary valour in the First World War, the Second World War and in conflicts after independence. According to him, one out of every five soldiers deployed for national defence is from the state.

He also highlighted the state's role as the origin of the Ganga and Yamuna and its religious significance, citing Badrinath, Kedarnath, Adi Kailash and Jageshwar Dham. He said the region has produced sons who have added to the pride of Mother India.

On the Congress party's plan for a Nyay Yatra, Dhami said the party may hold one if it wishes, and seeking attention is its right. However, he said it should explain its own tenure, including how much corruption occurred, and clarify how it would stop migration and generate jobs for youth. He said politics should not be built on false issues or on misleading claims about communities.

Regarding the Ramlila Maidan event, Dhami said no shuddhi yagya was held against any individual or caste. He said that the purification programme was organised after provocative slogans and disorder were created there, and portraying it as action against a particular person is wrong.

On the question of students' voices, Dhami said the claims were baseless and that more than 100 paper leak mafia members had been booked in Uttarakhand, while thousands of youths had got opportunities through transparent recruitment.

He emphasised that justice had been delivered in the Ankita case, where three accused are in jail serving their sentences under the legal process. He urged people to trust the judiciary and said the tragedy should not be repeatedly exploited for political gain. He asked whether every painful incident would be used to save a political base.

Dhami concluded that no one is above the Constitution and established systems, and that any Nyay Yatra must have a clear objective. He also pointed to recent audio clips of threats against young girls and incidents in Dehradun that are already in public knowledge.