BJP, Cong have looted natural resources: Panwar

Ajay Ramola

Tribune News Service

Mussoorie, April 28

Trivendra Panwar, leader of the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (P) that led the struggle for the separate state of Uttarakhand, says the present political crisis is the result of poor politics of the Congress and the BJP. He shares his views with The Tribune on various political issues, including the divided UKD and the party’s future course of action.

Who do you think is to be blamed for the present situation in the state?

The BJP as well as the Congress are to be blamed for that. These parties have conspired since the formation of Uttarakhand to loot natural resources, be it water, forests or land. The fight is not for the welfare of the people but for gaining power with an intention to make money through various illegal means in connivance with the land, forest and water mafia.

Your views on the rule of the Congress and the BJP in Uttarakhand?

I will not call it a rule but misrule. Both Congress and BJP have made a natural resource-rich state a poor one due to their misdeeds. The state is reeling under the problem of migration even after the passage of 16 years of its formation. It indicates that no positive change has taken place in the lives of the people. On the contrary, MLAs of the Congress and the BJP, who once used bicycles, have mysteriously found the Midas touch and have amassed huge wealth. They can be seen commuting in luxury cars.

Do you think they have failed to address the woes of the people?

Indeed, the BJP has conspired to dislodge the government while the Congress has failed to keep its flock together, which is a failure on its part. The BJP and the Congress are two sides of the same coin which has only one motive — sell the natural resources of the state and make the people poorer.

The UKD also finds it difficult to keep its flock together and is divided into various factions. Your say?

The leaders, who betrayed the party for personal gains, have been shown the door. There is no room for them in the party. The UKD is on the path of revival and many new faces with honest credentials are being enrolled to contest the next Assembly elections. Leaders like Diwakar Bhatt and Kashi Singh Airy have hurt the party the most as they left the UKD for personal benefits. They have used the UKD as a tool to win elections but have forgotten its ideology and worked against its interest after becoming MLAs.

Will the UKD join any third front, if formed, in the state for the next elections?

All such efforts in the past have failed as most of the parties work as stooges of either the Congress or the BJP and fall apart just before the elections. We have decided to go it alone and have already declared 26 seats. The process for finding active candidates on the remaining seat is on. Our motive is to oust the BJP and the Congress from the state once and for all and that is possible only if people make up their mind that they will not be duped this time.