DEHRADUN: The one-day special Assembly session convened by the Pushkar Singh Dhami-led Uttarakhand government to express support for the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam has drawn sharp criticism from the Congress party.
Congress national spokesperson Alok Sharma termed the move a “theatrical exercise” and a waste of taxpayer money. The special session was held to mark the government’s commitment to women’s reservation.
Sharma called the proceedings “unjustified” and alleged that the Dhami government organised the session only to appease its central leadership.
“It is unfortunate that just as Prime Minister Narendra Modi utilized the floor of Parliament for political signaling, spending hundreds of crores, the Dhami government is following the same path,” Sharma remarked.
He raised concerns over the financial impact of the session, estimating that the exchequer would bear a burden of Rs 10 to 12 crore for what he described as a “single day of electioneering.”
“Who is responsible for this expenditure?” Sharma asked.
He said that without addressing constitutional issues related to the 73rd and 74th amendments, the legislative process on women’s reservation would remain stalled.
“The BJP is in power. If they take genuine steps, we are ready to take four steps ahead with them,” he added, saying that the Congress has always supported increasing women’s political representation.
In a sharp response to the BJP’s stand, Sharma said the government should focus on ground-level work instead of symbolic politics. Referring to the BJP’s nationwide "Rath Yatra" campaigns, he said, “They are the ones who ride chariots; we are the ones fighting on the ground.”
He also linked the issue of women’s empowerment to the Ankita Bhandari murder case. “The Dhami government has no moral right to speak of women’s empowerment until they ensure complete justice for Ankita Bhandari. The day they deliver justice in that case, they can talk about empowerment," Sharma said.