Thousands gather at Rishikesh to demand CONCRETE LAND ACT and 1950 Citizenship act in Uttarakhand
Thousands of people especially youths , women and students congregated in thousands at Rishikesh on Thursday on the call given by the Uttarakhand Swabhiman Sena demanding concrete bhu kanoon and 1950 citizenship Act – making it absolutely clear that the people of Uttarakhand has badly turned against the saffron party government which is already reeling under tremendous pressure from various quarters viz the state’s cabinet minister Ganesh Joshi coming under the lens of Vigilance Court in a disproportionate assets case including its some leaders involved rape, absconding and a journalist brutally attacked by a liquor mafia with three back to back rapes taking place this month in Rudrapur, Dehradun and Haridwar in which an hospital employee was brutally murdered etc.
The demand for concrete land act is not a new demand but thousands of youths, senior citizens, students and women have earlier marched on the roads of Dehradun and even Gairsain on this issue but the chief minister of Uttarakhand despite tremendous pressure on him and his government since pre – election days of 2022 for implementing the land act the CM had publicly pledged in election rallies to fulfil this demand as soon as his government comes to power but all in vain. He backed out.
The BJP came to power with resounding majority but the chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami despite so much of public pressure just gave a lolypop to the electorates of Uttarakhand by forming a committee and holding press conferences that the new concrete land act will be established shortly but of no avail.
He rather exhibited interest in introducing the Uniform Civil Code as national elections were round the corner. What does this reflect ?
It unambiguously indicates that the saffron party was more worried to generate and gather the majority community votes through UCC than bringing the much promised Concrete Land Act thus annoying thousands of youths, students and women community who had been tirelessly demanding the Bhu Kanoon and 1950 citizenship act and relentlessly struggling.
This clearly indicates that the saffron party of the state is less interested to abolish the 2017 act that conveniently gives open opportunity to buy as much as land you can in Uttarakhand and further giving right to buy 250 square metres of land as announced by him in his recently held press conference.
There is no word by the Uttarakhand government on abolishing the 12.5 acre ceiling law that was abolished/ lifted in 2017 by Dhami’s predecessor Trivendra Singh Rawat allegedly allowing almost fifty percent of the entire land of Uttarakhand sold to ultra rich n outsiders.
Moreover, the CM Pushkar Singh Dhami has announced that not more than 250 square yards of the land will be allowed to outsiders to purchase in Uttarakhand making it absolutely clear that outsiders are still allowed to by 250 square yards of land in Uttarakhand. Wouldn’t this spoil the demography of Uttarakhand is a moot question ?
Today ,in view of the massive entry of outsiders in Uttarakhand and subsequent buying of more than fifty percent land by outsiders in the hilly state not only the demand for concrete land act and 1950 citizenship act has been gaining tremendous momentum but a new movement for bringing Uttarakhand under schedule five of the constitution is taking shape with Uttarakhand Ekta Manch holding a protest rally at Jantar Mantar on 2 nd October alongwith legendary figure Sonam Wangchuk who is also converging here after completing his 1000 kilometres Padyatra from Ladakh demanding 6 schedule for Ladakh.
The point is – the party that has been extremely expeditious in bringing UCC , spreading the network of liquor sale in entire Uttarakhand even allowing it in grocery shops since it earns handsome profit for the government to cover its staggering fiscal deficit having crossed Rs 70 thousand crores limit is not showing any interest to implement the concrete land act and the 1950 birth citizenship act. Why so – despite the fact that the people of the state have shown tremendous interest to repeat it giving it absolute majority both the times , in 2017 and then in 2022 ? Is is not an open betrayal and amounting to alleged stabbing the electorates on their backs by not coming true to their expectations despite pledging publicly in entire pre election campaigns of 2022 assembly elections.
