DEHRADUN: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has criticised Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav over a reported remark referring to people from Uttarakhand as “intruders”, saying it insulted the state’s identity and the struggle for its creation.
In a post on X, Dhami said the people of Uttarakhand would not tolerate such remarks. He also challenged the Congress to clarify whether it supported the statement made by its political ally.
The controversy centres on comments reportedly made by Yadav about people of Uttarakhand origin living in Uttar Pradesh. The remarks have drawn sharp reactions from the BJP and Uttarakhand leaders.
Dhami linked the row to the statehood movement, recalling the 1994 firing on activists at Rampur Tiraha in Muzaffarnagar. The incident occurred when Mulayam Singh Yadav, Akhilesh Yadav’s father, was the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh.
“People of Uttarakhand have not forgotten the firing on statehood activists and the atrocities committed against them,” Dhami said in his post.
“During the father’s tenure, bullets were fired at Uttarakhand’s activists; today, the son is calling the people of Uttarakhand intruders.”
The chief minister said the state’s residents would never forget the sacrifices made during the movement. He also asked whether the Congress considered it acceptable to describe Uttarakhandis as intruders and urged the party to respond to the people of the state.
The BJP’s Uttarakhand spokesperson, Mathura Dutt Joshi, described Yadav’s reported remark as “deeply unfortunate”, accusing him of hurting the sentiments of the state’s residents.
Referring to the 1994 movement, Joshi alleged that activists had been shot at and that women’s dignity had been violated. “Akhilesh Yadav is adding fuel to the fire. There will be serious consequences, and he should be prepared to face them,” he said.
The Congress also objected to the reported comments. State spokesperson Sujata Paul told the newspaper that no one had the right to speak about Uttarakhand in such terms, while stressing that people from elsewhere were welcome in the state.
“It is a big question what he had in mind when he made such a statement,” Paul said.
She added that Yadav’s wife and his brother’s wife were both from Uttarakhand and questioned why he would use such language.
“This country belongs to everyone, and everyone deserves respect. Such remarks should not be made,” she said.