Congress MLA Harish Dhami caused an uproar at the Jauljibi Fair in Pithoragarh, accusing CM Pushkar Singh Dhami of corruption and challenging him to a by-election after being denied a chance to speak at the event.
Amid the uproar during Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami’s event at the inauguration of the Jauljibi Fair in Pithoragarh district on Saturday, Congress MLA Harish Dhami accused the Chief Minister of corruption and challenged him to face him in a by-election, saying he had nothing to fear as he had committed no wrongdoing. The controversy erupted after a Congress MLA from Dharchula alleged that he was not given an opportunity to address the gathering from the stage.
“The Chief Minister is running away and living in fear—he is afraid because he has engaged in corruption. As for me, I have never been involved in corruption or committed any wrongdoing; that is why I have nothing to fear. I stand tall and unafraid. I have told the Chief Minister today: ‘Take whatever action you wish to take. You have kept me entangled in legal cases for years on end—go ahead and file another one; I can handle that too.’ To us, handcuffs are like ornaments,” Dhami said, speaking to ANI.
Issuing a direct challenge to the Chief Minister, he added, “I have challenged Pushkar Dhami directly: ‘If you have the courage, face me in a by-election today.’ If I don’t ensure that your security deposit is forfeited, then my name isn’t Harish Dhami.”
Dhami also criticised the Chief Minister over his remarks about the road to Lipulekh, linking them to the death of an eight-year-old child. “An 8-year-old child has lost his life, yet he feels no shame—instead, he boasts about having built such a beautiful road all the way to Lipulekh. Did he not feel even a shred of shame while saying this, considering he had visited the child’s home just the day before to offer his condolences to the grieving family?” he said.
The Congress MLA further said, “We had hoped that the Chief Minister would take some concrete action for the people of Kanar, who are currently on an indefinite hunger strike in Bitaugarh, and send a representative to persuade them to end their protest. We also expected a representative of the Chief Minister to visit the family of the 8-year-old child who passed away and acknowledge that this was a failure on the government’s part, ensuring that no other child would lose their life on this road in the future.”
Heavy chaos ensued during Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami’s event at the inauguration ceremony of the historic Jauljibi Fair, held on Saturday in Uttarakhand’s Pithoragarh district. Harish Dhami and his supporters allegedly started throwing chairs from the stage and smashed the mic after he claimed that he was not allowed to speak at the event.