Cong to flog issue of Centre hurting U'khand's pride in run-up

Accusing the Central government of relentlessly hurting the self-respect of Uttarakhand, Chief Minister Harish Rawat today said Congress will flog the issue to drive its point home in the run-up to the February 15 Assembly elections.
"The Centre has always tried in a premeditated way to make Uttarakhand feel small. Be it by denying us a package of Rs 8,000 crore announced by UPA at a time when we were struggling to recover from the wounds of the Himalayan Tsunami of 2013 or by ensuring that recommendations of the 14th Finance Commission cause us maximum financial losses..
"...Or by toppling an elected government which was restored after intervention of the Supreme Court, the BJP government at the Centre has worked constantly against our interests and to hurt our self-respect," he told reporters here.

The Congress leader said the party will go to people with these issues which will form the core of its campaign agenda in the state.
"At all our public meetings, yatras and rallies to be held as part of the party's 'Uttarakhand Swabhiman Yatra', we are going to flog the isssue of the Centre's high handedness," he said.
Accusing BJP of "engineering defections" in the ruling party besides planting a "so-called" sting video to dislodge an elected government and bring the state under Central rule, Rawat said the Supreme Court had termed imposition of President's rule in the state as a "Constitutional sin".

The Modi government had last year brought the state under President's rule citing a constitutional breakdown in the wake of a rebellion in the ruling Congress. The apex court had, however, ruled in favour of the state and quashed the rule.

The Chief Minister also released a document encapsulating his vision for the state for the next five years.
Titled 'Rawat Ke Sankalp' (Rawat's vows), it contains nine pledges, including steps for the welfare of the youth, women, armymen, creation of a vast network of roads, water and power connectivity in rural areas and sweeping reforms in the tourism sector so that it becomes the backbone of the state's economy.

Rawat added that a separate ministry will be created at the state level to take care of Army personnel with a Cabinet minister to head the department.