As the elections are nearing in the himalayan state scheduled for 2022, demands by opposition and assurances by the ruling political parties, including populist measures of sanctioning hundreds of crores have enhanced trying to attract the electorates on their respective sides.
Meanwhile, the founding leader of Uttarakhand Vanadhikar Andolan ( Uttarakhand Forest Rights movement) former state minister and chief of Uttarakhand Congress Kishore Upadhyay has demanded OBC status for the inhabitants of Uttarakhand with immediate effect.
In two separate letters written to the chief minister of Uttarakhand Pushkar Singh Dhami and the Assembly speaker Prem Chandra Aggrawal, former Uttarakhand Congress chief Kishore Upadhyay while lauding the initiative of the BJP led NDA government at the centre for taking a positive decision to expand the OBC list for consideration said that had the Mandal Commission included the Uttarakhandies in the OBC reservation list, after taking note of Haridwar, today the entire himalayan state would have been under the OBC jurisdiction with it’s inhabitants getting the benefits of reservation in Central services.
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Expressing his serious concern over the lack of employment in Uttarakhand despite gaining separate entity in 2000, Vanadhikar Andolan leader Upadhyay reiterated that the primary demand of the struggling Uttarakhadies during the separate state movement was for reservation in the state services. The demand for separate Uttarakhand movement was in the second Pedestal.
Accusing the present state and union governments for always treating Uttarakhand in an step motherly way sidelining it as compared to other himalayan states, former Congress chief Kishore Upadhay said that Uttarakhand should have been accorded all the facilities on the lines of the North Eastern States of the country where article 371 has been implemented and locals get reservation in jobs etc.
He revealed that our ancestors used to rely on hunting, animal feeding, n Jhum cultivation for their survival. The renowned British historian n author Atkinson and other documents of the English era have given unambiguous picture about these facts said Kishore Upadhyay.
The letter sent to the chief minister Uttarakhand and speaker clearly states that the Vanadhikar Aandolan( Forests Right movement of Uttarakhand) has been relentlessly struggling for Uttarakjandies being declared as forest dwellers and implementation of the 2006 forest act but of no avail.
The Vanadhikar Andolan chief demanded forthwith discussion and subsequent passing of a bill on these pivotal issues to be further recommended to the prime minister requesting for including Uttarakhandies in OBC category. He also demanded that the Uttarakhand government should take the initiative to constitute an all party delegation and ensure a meeting with prime minister Narendra Modi to enable including Uttarakhandies in the OBC list. Upadhyay said that this will be the historic golden gift to Uttarakhandies on the ocassion of the 75 th independence day.
बिव मांगे मोते मिले। मांगे मिले ना भीख।