Tug of war to woo ex-servicemen in Uttarakhand

Congress fields Lt-Gen Gambhir Singh Negi (retd) to counter the influence of Khanduri and TPS Rawat

Dehradun, January 18
Servicemen and ex-servicemen families in Uttarakhand, which form the single largest chunk of voters numbering more than 20 lakh, are having a different kind of battle at hands in the coming Assembly poll.

Because of their large numbers, every political party is trying to woo them. However unlike in the past, the ex-servicemen find themselves divided in different political camps. Uttarakhand Chief Minister BC Khanduri, an ex-serviceman who was one of the tallest leaders of the state and natural choice for the ex-servicemen and service voters and their families, is facing a tough challenge from his own ex-servicemen.

A tug of war has been going on between ex-servicemen belonging to the ruling BJP, the main opposition Congress and the Uttarakhand Raksha Morcah floated by Lt-Gen TPS Rawat (retd) to influence their community.

Rawat, who started his career from the Congress, later shifted to the BJP joining hands with Khanduri in 2007. Both Army Generals formed a formidable combination and was natural choice for the ex-servicemen and their families.

However, last year, Rawat also left the BJP to start his own political outfit the Uttarakhand Raksha Morcha and has been mainly banking on the goodwill of the service voters, ex-servicemen and their families.

On the other hand, the Congress has also fielded Lt-Gen Gambhir Singh Negi (retd) to counter the influence of Khanduri and Rawat.

A war of words has also started to get votes of ex-servicemen. Khanduri claims to have done the maximum for the ex-servicemen and their families by raising the grants for gallantary awardees, increasing the pensions of the Second World War veterans, giving liberal loans for housing and education and providing employment for ex-servicemen.

However, the Uttarakhand Raksha Morcha refuted the claims of the BJP. “There are a few Gallantary awardees and there are allegations of nepotism and favourtism in the UPNAL, a corporation for the welfare of ex-servicemen. Khanduri is taking credit for raising two battalions of the eco-task force but it is a central government project,” said Col PC Thapliyal (retd) of the Uttarakhand Raksha Morcha.

He charged that ex-servicemen of the state were neglected due to want of opportunities and employment.

Both ruling BJP and Congress had organised sainik sammelans in Pauri Garhwal, Almora and Pithoragarh districts having a sizeable population of servicemen and ex-servicemen in the past two months.

Lt-Gen Gambhir Singh Negi (retd), a former Commandant of the Indian Military Academy and former Chairman of the Uttarakhand Public Service Commission, will be spearheading the Congress campaign as far as service voters and their families are concerned.