U'khand couldn't fulfil dreams of martyrs: Harak Singh

Uttarakhand Cabinet Minister Harak Singh Rawat on Monday said the successive state governments could fulfil the dreams of those martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the creation of a separate state.

Talking to the media here, Rawat not only criticized former chief minister Harish Rawat but also his current party's, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), former Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank.

Harak Singh Rawat, Satpal Maharaj, Subhodh Oniyal and Yashpal Arya are the ministers in the Trivendra Singh Rawat Government who were previously in the Congress Party.

Criticising Harish Rawat, he said, "Harish Rawat rose to Chief Ministership after working from the ground level, so he could have done more for the state. But, he was encircled in a caucus so he couldn't do what was expected of him. Similarly, since Nishank was made chief minister in a very young age, he also couldn't do much as the BJP couldn't return to power in 2012."

Congress' five-time Member of Parliament Harish Rawat was the Chief Minister from 2014 to 2017. Nishank was Chief Minister of Uttarakhand from 2009 to 2011.

He said the state could not fulfil the dreams of the martyrs in the last 16 years who sacrificed their lives for a separate state.

He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had appealed the voters to give the BJP a 'double engine'; Uttarakhand voters gave the BJP a huge historic mandate with 57 seats.

"Now the expectations of people have skyrocketed and our (state government's) responsibility has heightened as not only at the Centre but there are BJP governments in many states," said Rawat.

He said if they couldn't meet the people's expectations then they won't be having an answer as to why they are not being able to perform.