Congress targets PM Modi on issue of development in Uttarakhand

New Delhi: The Congress on Tuesday said the Modi government has "failed" to make any meaningful improvements in Uttarakhand, claiming the state has been plagued by rampant unemployment, unprecedented out-migration, crumbling infrastructure, and a deteriorating law and order situation in recent years.

The opposition party's attack came ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modis rally in Uttarakhand.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh noted that PM Modi is visiting the city of Rudrapur in Uttarakhand on Tuesday.

"We hope that the PM will take this opportunity to address three key questions about why his government has failed to make any meaningful improvements in the state," Ramesh said and listed the questions on X.

Today, PM Modi is visiting the city of Rudrapur in Uttarakhand, a state that has been plagued by rampant unemployment, unprecedented out-migration, crumbling infrastructure, and a deteriorating law and order situation in recent years. We hope that the PM will take this…

— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) April 2, 2024

"The BJP government has been disappointingly ineffective in addressing Uttarakhand's biggest challenges of unemployment and migration. In 2021, an RTI revealed that 5 lakh people have migrated out of the state in the last 10 years - and the rate of migration is only increasing," Ramesh said.

The National Statistical Office (NSO) data from 2020 shows alarmingly high rates of unemployment, with nearly one third of Uttarakhand's urban youth being unemployed, he said.

"Where it should be working to address these challenges, the BJP has been callous and counterproductive, with a BJP leader arrested in 2022 in the UKSSSC paper leak scam, which frustrated the hopes and ambitions of 1.6 lakh aspirants," he alleged.

When young protestors took to the streets in Dehradun to demand a CBI probe into paper leaks, they were latchi-charged by the BJP government, he claimed.

"The introduction of the Agnipath scheme has similarly deprived young Uttarakhandis of another possibility for employment. Given this state of affairs, Uttarakhand has experienced a growing number of 'ghost villages' which have been abandoned by disgruntled citizens who have given up on their prospects in the state," Ramesh claimed.

What is PM Modi's government doing to stem this mass exodus from the state, to solve the pressing unemployment crisis, or at the least to end this constant stream of paper leaks, he asked.

Ramesh further said it has been more than 18 months since receptionist Ankita Bhandari was assaulted and brutally murdered at the Vanantara Resort in Rishikesh.

"The primary accused in the case is Pulkit Arya, the owner of the resort and son of BJP leader Vinod Arya. Led by Ankita's mother, protests have been mounting across the state, demanding the arrest of RSS general secretary Ajay Kumar," he said.

The victim's mother has also demanded the arrest of BJP MLAs Renu Bisht and Pramod Kumar after a JCB operator's signed affidavit revealed that he demolished two evidence-bearing rooms of the resort on their orders, he claimed.

"The chief minister has repeatedly expressed support for Ankita's family, and stated that his government is doing 'everything in their power' to support the investigation. Yet, last month, a journalist was arrested on a trumped-up charge because he dared to highlight the government's willful negligence in this matter," Ramesh said.

What is the PM doing to ensure that Ankita's family gets justice, he asked.

"Will BJP leaders face any consequences for obstructing justice?" he said.

PM Modi touts his government's infrastructure build-out as a key achievement and nowhere is this refrain more unconvincing than in Uttarakhand, he said, alleging that the state has seen multiple disasters in recent years due to haphazard, irresponsible, and corrupt infrastructure development.

"The town of Joshimath began 'sinking' rapidly in January 2023. Less than a week before massive cracks appeared in the ground, a delegation of residents had tried in vain to raise the issue with the BJP's chief minister, who dismissed their fears as unfounded," Ramesh said.

This is just one of many hill towns that is at risk because the government has ignored its own experts' advice and warnings in their rush to award contracts to builders, he alleged.

Ramesh claimed that the latest reports on the Silkyara tunnel collapse, which trapped 41 workers for more than two weeks last November, reveal that the contractor prioritised project completion over safety precautions, neglecting to build basic safety infrastructure like escape routes, an alarm system, and real-time project monitoring.

"Incidentally, the firm that won the contract for the tunnel donated Rs. 55 crore to the BJP since 2019 - and the BJP, through the National Highways Infrastructure Development Corporation, continues to loyally protect the contractor and reject all reports that criticise the handling of the project," he alleged.

Who is the BJP government building infrastructure in Uttarakhand for - the contractors or for the people, he asked.

"In a region that is prone to landslides and seismic disasters, what is the BJP government doing to ensure that safety guidelines are not flouted, and public money is not wasted?" Ramesh said and asked the PM to break his "silence" on these issues.