Congress to focus on local, micro issues

To counter the Modi factor in Uttarakhand, the state unit of the Congress has identified and is raising local and micro issues.”We don’t want to make it a Modi vs Congress election, and so we are raising issues that directly affect the common people,” said a senior Congress organisational leader, who did not wish to be identified.The Congress has identified issues such as creation of districts (Didihat, Yamunotri, Kotdwar and Ranikhet), repair of drinking water pipelines and roads damaged in the recent floods, development of infrastructure in the new summer capital of Gairsain, scrapping of the Devasthanam board and scholarship for school students, to raise in the run up to the polls.

Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi maintains a direct and a regular connect with the state, the Congress apparently wants to avoid a direct fight with Modi.Congress leaders are making their best efforts to remain visible at the ground level through various party programmes ahead of the 2022 assembly polls.On the birth anniversary of former PM Jawaharlal Nehru on November 14, senior leaders of the Congress party, including Devendra Yadav, who is in-charge of the Uttarakhand Congress, former chief minister Harish Rawat and state president Ganesh Godiyal will start touring villages in the state.”While the in-charge of the Pradesh Congress Committee Devendra Yadav will stay in night in different villages of Bageshwar district this month, we are giving the final shape to the programme of former CM Harish Rawat in the Kumaon region,” said Mathura Dutt Joshi, general secretary (organisation) of the Pradesh Congress committee.The Congress will also organise several functions across the state on the birth anniversary of former PM Indira Gandhi on November 19. The party will observe November 26 as ‘Samvidhan Bachao Diwas’ (Save the Constitution Day).