Ahead of the Uttarakhand Assembly elections scheduled to take place next year, Chef Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Sunday said that the BJP government’s only agenda was to steer the state on the path of development.
Dhami’s comments come in the backdrop of AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal promising to provide 300 units of free electricity to every household in Uttarakhand if his party is elected to power.
Kejriwal has also promised to waive old bills and give free electricity to farmers in the state if the AAP emerges victorious in the upcoming polls.
In the backdrop of these developments, Dhami told reporters at Uttarakhand Sadan in Delhi, "Election could be someone's only agenda. But our agenda is that of development. Finishing on priority projects whose foundation stones have been laid, taking works done by the Narendra Modi government in the state to people.”
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Asked whether the Aam Aadmi Party could pose a challenge to the BJP, Dhami said the only challenge that lies before his party is in initiating developmental projects in the state.
He further said a lot has been done in the state in the last four years, especially in the infrastructure sector. "If you visit Uttarakhand you get to see the tremendous amount of work that has been done. So much work has been done on the all-weather road project. The Dehradun-Delhi highway has also been widened and improved," he said.
Replying to a question, he said there is no resentment among members of his Cabinet on his elevation as chief minister.
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"Most of my ministerial colleagues are my seniors who have experience. We are all working as a team to steer the state on the path of development," he said.
"Our former chief ministers have also done well. We have to take forward their good work," Dhami said.
Dhami said he has met central leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and submitted to them a string of proposals related to the development of the state.
On whether or not the Kanwar yatra will be held later this month, the Uttarakhand chief minister said the yatra is associated with religious sentiments of people but the priority is saving lives in the time of the Covid pandemic.
"Even the gods will not want people to die. The priority at the moment is saving lives," he said.
However, a final decision on Kanwar yatra will be taken in consultation with neighbouring states including Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and others from where a large number of Kanwariyas come to Haridwar to collect holy waters of the Ganga, he said.
(With PTI inputs)
