DEHRADUN: After chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said that the session of state legislative assembly cannot be organized in Gairsain due to 'cold', former chief minister Harish Rawat retorted saying that the CM should not give such excuses.
"Honorable chief minister must not give excuses of winter and cold to not organize winter session of the assembly in Gairsain. One session in a year should be conducted in Gairsain."
He further added that the winter session should be organized in Gairsain, Chamoli district and senior Congress MLAs would attend it. The colossal three-storey assembly building in Gairsain, which resembles a Roman palace, is being constructed on a one lakh square feet area.
Besides, the campus also has 60 rooms for MLAs, 15 for ministers, 3 for VVIPs and 60 rooms for officers -- but without any green nod.
The entire project is worth Rs 148 crore. When the project, spanning across a total of 100-acre land, started in July 2014 – under the Harish Rawat government – it was worth Rs 115 crore and later the cost was revised to Rs 148 crore.
Making Gairsain permanent capital of Uttrakhand is an emotional issue for the people of the state which resonates among political circles and masses alike.
Prem Agarwal, speaker of the Uttarakhand State Legislative Assembly commenting on the issue has supported organizing the session in Gairsain, contrary to the CM.
Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat had negated the possibility of conducting the winter session in Gairsain stating that senior members of the assembly will face problems due to cold in the hill town of Chamoli district.
Pritam Singh, state Indian National Congress president also slammed the CM over the issue.
"The CM should not hurt sentiments of the people and great Gairsain as an unimportant entity. People want Gairsain as permanent capital in future and the town should be given that much importance," said the state Congress president.
Till date, no officials announcement of winter session of the state assembly to start from December 4, 2019 has been made to be organized in Gairsain.
Opposition including INC have picked it up as an issue to slam the state government, CM and the BJP accusing them of not giving importance to the hill town, proposed to be the permanent capital of Uttarakhand.