Dehradun, November 11
The war of words between the leaders of the opposition, the Congress, and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) refused to die down on the issue of the stone-laying function of the ambitious Rishikesh-Karanprayag railway line.
Union Defence Minister AK Antony along with Union Railways Minister Dinesh Trivedi laid the foundation stone of the proposed railway line in the Garhwal Himalayas in the absence of Sonia Gandhi, who could not pay a visit due to indisposition on November 9.
With Assembly elections in February next year, both rival political parties left no stone unturned to claim credit for the railway line. In fact, it was the effort of Satpal Maharaj, Lok Sabha MP from Pauri Garhwal, which led to the sanctioning of the railway line.
The Congress planned the foundation stone function as a start of their election campaign by party president Sonia Gandhi.
The BJP government, led by Chief Minister BC Khanduri, was opposed to laying the foundation stone of the national project by Sonia Gandhi and even complained to the Prime Minister. There were efforts by former Chief Minister Bhagat Singh Koshiyari to project that the railway line had been sanctioned due to his efforts.
Later, Khanduri complained that he was not invited for such an important event in the state. In reply to the allegations, Satpal Maharaj and an arch political rival of Khanduri in a statement issued here today said it had been reliably learnt from the Railway Ministry that the Chief Minister was invited for the programme but he declined to accept it on the ground of business due to statehood functions slated for November 9.
Maharaj said it was a lie propagated by the Chief Minister that he was not invited for the function. He said Khanduri should have shown some grace while accepting the invitation for the programme, which was important not only for the socio-economic development of the Garhwal region but was also vital for strategic defence purposes on the China border.
In a scathing attack on the Chief Minister, Maharaj said Khanduri himself had never given a damn for the protocol. “During his earlier tenure as Chief Minister, he did not invite his own cabinet colleague Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank who was a Health Minister in his government to the inauguration of Srinagar Medical College,” he added.
Meanwhile, the BJP, finding itself in a bind on the issue, has raked up the issue of the Tanakpur-Bageshwar railway- line which had been pending for many years.
Bishan Singh Chufal, Uttarakhand BJP president, said the Central Government should sanction the Tanakpur-Bageshwar railway line which was equally important for the Kumoan region and also for defence purposes.
The war of words between the leaders of the opposition, the Congress, and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) refused to die down on the issue of the stone-laying function of the ambitious Rishikesh-Karanprayag railway line.
Union Defence Minister AK Antony along with Union Railways Minister Dinesh Trivedi laid the foundation stone of the proposed railway line in the Garhwal Himalayas in the absence of Sonia Gandhi, who could not pay a visit due to indisposition on November 9.
With Assembly elections in February next year, both rival political parties left no stone unturned to claim credit for the railway line. In fact, it was the effort of Satpal Maharaj, Lok Sabha MP from Pauri Garhwal, which led to the sanctioning of the railway line.
The Congress planned the foundation stone function as a start of their election campaign by party president Sonia Gandhi.
The BJP government, led by Chief Minister BC Khanduri, was opposed to laying the foundation stone of the national project by Sonia Gandhi and even complained to the Prime Minister. There were efforts by former Chief Minister Bhagat Singh Koshiyari to project that the railway line had been sanctioned due to his efforts.
Later, Khanduri complained that he was not invited for such an important event in the state. In reply to the allegations, Satpal Maharaj and an arch political rival of Khanduri in a statement issued here today said it had been reliably learnt from the Railway Ministry that the Chief Minister was invited for the programme but he declined to accept it on the ground of business due to statehood functions slated for November 9.
Maharaj said it was a lie propagated by the Chief Minister that he was not invited for the function. He said Khanduri should have shown some grace while accepting the invitation for the programme, which was important not only for the socio-economic development of the Garhwal region but was also vital for strategic defence purposes on the China border.
In a scathing attack on the Chief Minister, Maharaj said Khanduri himself had never given a damn for the protocol. “During his earlier tenure as Chief Minister, he did not invite his own cabinet colleague Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank who was a Health Minister in his government to the inauguration of Srinagar Medical College,” he added.
Meanwhile, the BJP, finding itself in a bind on the issue, has raked up the issue of the Tanakpur-Bageshwar railway- line which had been pending for many years.
Bishan Singh Chufal, Uttarakhand BJP president, said the Central Government should sanction the Tanakpur-Bageshwar railway line which was equally important for the Kumoan region and also for defence purposes.
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