CM Dhami seeks apology from Cong over remarks against Uttarakhand residents, NSA Doval; targets Akhilesh

Dehradun, Nov 1 (IANS) Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Sunday demanded that the state Congress leadership seek an apology from its senior leaders over remarks allegedly made against the people of Uttarakhand and NSA Ajit Doval, while accusing the Opposition of attempting to create unrest in the country. 

BJP leaders have accused Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav of allegedly describing people from Uttarakhand living in Uttar Pradesh as "infiltrators". They argue that Congress is prioritising its alliance within the INDIA bloc over the dignity and respect of Uttarakhand residents.

Addressing the closing ceremony of Khel Mahakumbh 2026, Dhami criticised the Congress over its political approach and alleged that the party was frustrated after losing power.

“The party whose leaders have a history of undermining democracy, imposing the Emergency in the country, and dismissing elected governments from time to time has now lost power,” he said.

“The public no longer trusts them because people have witnessed their misdeeds continuously for 60 years, both in the states and at the national level. This reflects their frustration and disappointment,” the Chief Minister added.

Dhami also referred to an appeal by traders asking the Congress to postpone its proposed event at Ramlila Maidan until after Diwali and the festive season, arguing that the gathering could affect businesses and inconvenience the public.

“They were urged not to harm businesses or inconvenience people. However, they are determined to create disorder. They want to create situations similar to those in Bangladesh and Nepal and bring about regime change,” he said.

Referring to the protesters, Dhami alleged that they were seeking to replicate unrest witnessed in other countries.

“We will create situations such as in France, and the violence that persists in European nations,” he said, referring to the remarks made by the protesters.

Invoking former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Dhami said, “I am reminded of Atal ji’s words—when Congress is in power, they become dangerous for the people of the nation; when they are not in power, they become dangerous for the nation.”

He alleged that the Congress was provoking people to create situations similar to those in Nepal and Bangladesh.

“They are badmouthing NSA Ajit Doval, who is Uttarakhand’s son. Akhilesh Yadav is using words like ‘infiltrator’ for people of Uttarakhand. Uttarakhand Congress should answer whether they support the comments made by him. If you don’t support their comments, then you should speak up,” CM Dhami said.

The Chief Minister urged the state Congress leadership to clarify its position on the remarks made by Yadav and other Opposition leaders.

“If you don’t agree with what they said, and respect Uttarakhand and its roots, then you should speak up,” he said.

--IANS

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