PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE | Dehradun
The Bharatiya Janata Party accused Congress of spreading false claims regarding the Uttarkashi disaster relief, stating that the State government is providing the highest-ever assistance of Rs five lakh to the affected.
The party’s State president and Rajya Sabha MP Mahendra Bhatt said that the amount is being given separately to families of the deceased and to those whose houses have been destroyed, with further aid planned for damage to land and crops as per norms. Bhatt alleged that the Pradesh Congress Committee president Karan Mahara is politicising a sensitive issue by visiting the disaster-affected area for political purposes, claiming that the government stopped him and then reaching the location without hindrance.
He said that such actions are aimed at political gains and will not affect relief operations or public morale. He added that previous Congress governments never provided more than Rs two lakh in such disasters and sometimes limited help to Rs one lakh. He said that the current government has increased disaster assistance over time and the present amount is a temporary relief to support victims in the initial phase, with more help to follow as the situation becomes clearer.
On Congress accusations of intimidation of district panchayat members, Bhatt said that the opposition lacked candidates in most places, as well as proposers and seconders where candidates were fielded. He said that elected representatives prefer development under a triple-engine government and are therefore supporting BJP. He predicted that a large number of BJP candidates for district panchayat chairperson and block chief posts will win unopposed and claimed the party expected to secure all district panchayat chairperson seats and most block chief positions by the final results.
