Uttarakhan bypolls: Pralhad Joshi takes dig at Congress, calls it 'Party of past'

Pralhad Joshi, the Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister, took a swipe at the opposition Congress in Uttarakhand on Friday. He said the party was having trouble recruiting candidates for the assembly elections early next year. Joshi, the BJP's election in-charge in Uttarakhand, claimed the Congress is a relic of the past, with its MLAs defecting to the BJP.

Joshi was in town for the BJP's core committee meeting, where he discussed the party's strategy for the upcoming assembly elections. "Congress leadership, whether at the national level or here, they have understood that Congress is a party of past tense. It is a party of the past. They are using binoculars to find candidates," Joshi told media persons.

Pralhad Joshi criticises Congress while on trip to look over Uttarakhand polls plan

Joshi also congratulated Congress leader Harish Rawat on his remarks that the party's election campaign in the state would be driven by 'Jai Shri Ganesh'. He also expressed gratitude to the Nainital High Court for resuming the Char Dham Yatra. On September 18, the Char Dham Yatra will commence.

"I want to congratulate Rawatji (Harish Rawat) and Congress party that at least non-serious part-time politician Rahul Gandhi has decided to chant Jai Shri Ganesh," Joshi said.

Joshi slams AAP

The Nainital High Court removed the prohibition on Char Dham Yatra on September 16, allowing only completely COVID-19-vaccinated people with a COVID-19 negative report to participate in the annual pilgrimage. The court also ordered that worshippers follow COVID-19 protocols and that the number of visitors is limited. Joshi also made a statement criticizing the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). He stated that they demanded confirmation of the Pakistan airstrike. He added that the AAP is now attempting to collect votes using the name of a retired Army general.

Joshi's trip to Dehradun to assess BJP Uttarakhand polls plan

Joshi landed in Dehradun on Thursday to assess the BJP's preparations for the upcoming state assembly elections. He is making his first trip to Uttarakhand after being named the state's poll in-charge earlier this month. He was met at the Jolly Grant Airport by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, state BJP president Madan Kaushik, and former chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, accompanied by co-in charge Locket Chatterjee and BJP national spokesperson R P Singh.

The statue of Bhimrao Ambedkar, a crucial architect of India's Constitution, was first garlanded by Joshi, Chatterjee, and Singh near the Clock Tower in the city's core. They then decorated the statue of Deendayal Upadhyay, a co-founder of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh. They also laid floral tributes to those who died during the Uttarakhand statehood movement at the Shaheed Smarak.

"People's struggle and sacrifices led to the creation of Uttarakhand. The BJP will honour the martyrdom of the martyrs and fulfil the aspirations that guided the statehood movement," Joshi said. "So much is yet to be done for the development of Uttarakhand and the BJP government is making serious efforts in that direction," he said.

With inputs from ANI and PTI.

(IMAGE: PTI)