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Monday, January 16, 2012

Political slugfest at Uttarayani fair

Nainital, January 16
In the poll season, the Uttarayani fair in Bageshwar turned out to be a political arena, where the leaders of various political parties have descended not only to propagate their ideologies but to have a war of words with their rivals.
At the venue on the banks of the Saryu river that is better known as Saryubagad, political parties had set up special pandals and had gone ahead to convert the event, which is generally of socio-religious importance, into an arena of political fight.
In the pandal set up by the Congress, Pradeep Tamta, Lok Sabha member from the Almora constituency seat under which Bageshwar is covered, was the star campaigner. He not only listed the achievements of the Centre but also raised the issues of local importance. A leader who has been better known as a social activist, Tamta had chosen the occasion to lash out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for allegedly failing to generate employment at the local level and having done nothing to prevent the migration of the youth from the hilly terrain of the state.
He also attacked the BJP for having “failed” to give a stable Chief Minister who could complete a complete term in office. Tamta also accused the BJP of having promoted corruption on various fronts.
In the BJP pandal, it was left to former Chief Minister Bhagat Singh Koshiyari, who enjoys a considerable support in the region, to launch a counter attack. He chose to recount the scams that have marked the tenure of the UPA at the Centre. At the same time, he was seen giving local examples to convey that it is only the BJP that has scripted development in the state.
The Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP), too, had a lot to say in its pandal. Its leaders, including BR Dhoni, could be seen attracting the masses with the claims that it is only the BSP who has taken care of the poor and the downtrodden sections of society. He said the victims of the rain-related disaster of 2010 were still running from pillar to post to get some relief.
The Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (Progressive) chose the occasion to lash out at both the Congress and the BJP for having “betrayed” the people of the state. The leaders, including Mahesh Parihar, accused the two parties of dilly-dallying on the issue of a permanent capital of the state. The leaders also accused the BJP of having “orchestrated” a split in the UKD. They also attacked the Congress for having done nothing to contain inflation.

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