Dehradun: Opposition BJP in Uttarakhand today asked Chief Minister Harish Rawat to first explain to people how the state government spent nearly Rs 8000 crore sanctioned for rehabilitation and reconstruction in the calamity-hit areas before seeking an additional Rs 4000 crore from Centre.
"There is no justification for demanding an additional package of Rs 4000 crore from the Centre at a time when Narendra Modi is yet to be sworn in as the Prime Minister.
"The chief minister should first give an account of?how the state government spent nearly Rs 8000 crore sanctioned by the Centre earlier for rehabilitation and reconstruction in Uttarakhand," BJP National Secretary Trivendra Singh Rawat told reporters here.
"After all it was hard earned public money and the chief minister owes an explanation to the people of the state," he said.
Soon after Modi was elected leader of BJP Parliamentary Party in Delhi recently, Rawat demanded an additional package of Rs 4000 crore from the Centre saying rehabilitating over 200 disaster-hit villages was a huge task for which the amount was needed.
The chief minister had said he will meet Modi soon after his swearing-in to present to him a document summing up the expectations of the people of Uttarakhand from him.
Reacting to newspaper reports about the likelihood of Harish Rawat contesting Dharchula seat to make his entry into the state assembly, the BJP leader said it shows that either the chief minister has lost confidence in his voters or they have lost confidence in him.
"Harish Rawat was the sitting MP from Haridwar?when he took over as CM. The Doiwala seat which is an assembly segment of Haridwar constituency has fallen vacant with sitting MLA Ramesh Pokhariyal Nishank having won from Haridwar Lok Sabha seat defeating Harish Rawat`s wife Renuka.
"After all, what stops the CM from contesting from Doiwala. Either he has lost confidence in his voters or they have lost confidence in him," Trivendra added.
