BJP puts Pushkar Dhami under watch after violent action against youth

New Delhi: The woes of Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami seem to be unending. The Himalayan state’s Chief Minister has been put under watch by the Bharatiya Janata Party after the state government took violent action against protesting students and unemployed youth.

The BJP leadership is not happy with the hasty way the Dhami government handled these protests. It feels that the issue could further flare up and hurt the saffron unit by erosion of its goodwill amongst the masses in the state, sources said.

This isn’t the first time that Dhami has come under fire from various factions of the saffron unit. Months ago he had to face similar protests after allegations of corruption, and irregularities in recruitment by BJP as well as opposition leaders in the state.

Thousands of students protested violently in Dehradun last week, alleging paper leaks in government recruitment exams and demanding a CBI inquiry into such scams.

Though within days, the Dhami government has pushed through an ordinance to prevent the use of unfair means in recruitment exams, the situation in the state is far from peaceful.

It is understood that Central leadership is taking a closer look at the allegations of corruption and irregularities in government recruitment.

"The top leadership of the BJP has been apprised of the prevailing situation in the state and it could take a decision on the issue soon," sources said.

The protest held under the aegis of the Uttarakhand Berozgaar Union saw violence from youth and a retaliatory lathi charge by policemen. With injuries reported from both sides, the violence brought back memories of earlier such protests witnessed in the region over the demand for a separate Uttarakhand state. And the BJP is fearful of escalating the issue further. Hence, the call for a quick resolution to these repeated allegations of corruption and irregularities in recruitment against the Dhami government.

Similar protests were also witnessed in the state after the murder of Ankita Bhandari which had forced the Dhami government to act, but caused massive embarrassment to the BJP over the deteriorating law and order issues.

Various factions of the BJP have been baying for the blood of Dhami despite the BJP coming back with a thumping majority just last year.

Discontent has been brewing against Dhami over these allegations despite BJP securing victory in Uttarakhand Assembly polls last year winning 47 out of the 70 Assembly seats.

Party sources stated that this has put the saffron unit in a tricky position as it doesn’t want to be seen as acting against him in a haste. However, the BJP also cannot afford to give a long rope to Dhami and not act against him. So the party is understood to be working out a formula that would not damage the saffron unit’s voter base in the state and ensure its political continuity, sources said.

It is understood that several BJP leaders from the state including former Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat and MP Anil Balooni have apprised the BJP’s top leadership regarding the crisis in Uttarakhand.

The state elected BJP's nominees to all 5 of its Lok Sabha seats in 2019. With Prime Minister Narendra Modi set to seek a third term in 2024, the party hopes to maintain a similar 100 per cent strike rate in the state.

However, the recent spate of protests and agitation against the Pushkar Singh Dhami government over issues of corruption and irregularities in the government recruitment process has led to a heightened worry in the party, sources said.

These allegations and violent protests have also given fuel to the opposition Congress which has claimed that Dhami’s approach to these problems wasn’t enough and he needed to step down. Senior Congress leader Harish Rawat has also accused the Dhami government of taking decisions only under pressure and not taking preventive action.