Tuesday, 05 September 2023 | Pioneer Interview
The leader of opposition in Assembly, Yashpal Arya has an onerous task of leading the opposition’s charge on the floor of the Assembly and cornering the government on various issues. After camping in Bageshwar for about a month where he devised the party’s strategy with PCC president Karan Mahara for the important by-election, Arya came to Dehradun on Monday to attend the monsoon session of Uttarakhand Assembly commencing on Tuesday. Arya discussed a variety of issues facing the State with Gajendra Singh Negi of The Pioneer at his residence on Monday.
You have just returned from Bageshwar. What is the position of the Congress candidate there?
We are winning in Bageshwar despite the ruling BJP having thrown in all the resources and blatant misuse of official machinery. The BJP which has held the seat for the last four terms has no achievement to show to the people of the constituency. There is a direct contest in Bageshwar this time which usually has three cornered contests and it will benefit the Congress party. Our candidate Basant Kumar is very popular and has a very good support base of his own there.
BJP has accused the central observer of Bageshwar of adopting a partisan attitude and has submitted a complaint to the EC. What is the issue?
This shows the desperation of the ruling BJP which has realised that its candidate is losing in Bageshwar. The charge levelled on the central observer is baseless and mischievous. It was the BJP which misused official machinery and its leaders and workers were seen using government vehicles in the election campaign. The administration prevented the mediapersons from doing their duty in Bageshwar which is an assault on the independence of the Press.
What is the stand of the Congress party about the anti- encroachment drive going on in the mountainous areas of the State?
The government is taking refuge in the order of Uttarakhand High Court and has unleashed terror in the mountains. Houses of people have been demolished and their livelihood has been affected by the anti-encroachment drive. The Congress party respects the court but the government should have taken up the issue in the Supreme Court. The government has failed to provide shelter and employment and now it has demolished the houses of people and hit the livelihood of people with the anti-encroachment drive. In the pandemic period lakhs of youngsters came back to their villages and many opened small shops, guest houses and home-stays to support themselves but they are being demolished now.
What is the preparation of the Congress party for the monsoon session of the Assembly?
The government has convened this session in haste. The duration of the session too has been kept short because the government doesn’t want to face the opposition. The session is commencing on September 5 which is celebrated as Teachers Day. The voting in Bageshwar by- election is also on September 5. In the meeting of the Business Advisory Committee (BAC), I will raise the issue and press for extension of the session so that fruitful discussion on the important issues is held. We want the session to be held on Mondays also so that the questions related to the departments headed by the chief minister are taken up. We will raise the issue of the plight of people of mountainous areas affected by the anti- encroachment drive in the Assembly. The failure of the government to deal with the recent rain triggered disasters will also be raised by us. There are plenty of other issues which we want to discuss in the Assembly.
The chief minister has claimed that Uniform Civil Code (UCC) will be implemented in the state this year. What is your stand on UCC?
UCC is the subject of the Union government and it is likely to table it in the parliament. The State government has constituted an expert committee on UCC and it has submitted its report to the government. We want the government to allow discussion on the draft of the UCC.
BJP has extended its support to the idea of ‘one nation one election’. What is your opinion on the subject?
The government has set up a committee headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind on the subject. I believe that a person of his stature should have refused the offer of the government. His panel will submit its report to the Home minister or secretary which is below the dignity of someone who had held the position of President of the country. The concept of one nation one election is good on paper but practically it is not feasible. What will happen when some State government comes in minority in the Assembly and fresh elections are necessitated and in this case will the elections be held again in the country along with that State? It is a ploy of the BJP to bypass the elections in the country.
Recently the Vigilance department has raided the properties of Harak Singh Rawat. What is your opinion on it?
The BJP is targeting opposition leaders and the Vigilance action is part of this witch hunting. The issue is of the time when Harak Singh Rawat was a minister in the BJP government. Why was no action taken against him when he was in the BJP?
How do you foresee the fate of the INDIA alliance in the Lok Sabha elections of 2024?
The INDIA alliance is poised to register a thumping victory in 2024. The BJP is scared and it is reflected in the decision of the government to reduce the prices of LPG cylinders. The change is imminent and in Uttarakhand we will win in all the seats.
The Congress party in Uttarakhand is a divided house and in such a situation how will it pose a challenge to BJP?
The party is united and it was clearly reflected in campaigning in Bageshwar. We should sink our differences and focus on the larger goal of defeating the BJP.
