Uttaranchal: In spite of a new state now, why are the agitators unhappy?

HOLDING THE BABY: Surjit Singh Barnala, Swamy and Murli Manohar Joshi with the map of the new stateWhen Uttaranchal's first Chief Minister Nityanand Swami recently reached the new state's capital, Dehradun, the welcome he got was less than rousing. The town wore a deserted look; no banners or hoardings were in evidence. Of the BJP's 17 MLAs, only one had come to the railway station to receive him. The mood all round was one of discontent.Normally, the creation of a separate state should have been a festive occasion, but there has been very little of that in Uttaranchal's case. Instead, battle lines are being drawn once again. "Our boys did not sacrifice their lives during the Uttarakhand agitation to get a state with its capital in the plains and to have a governor and a chief minister imposed on us by Delhi," said an angry Shamsher Bahadur Singh Bisht of the Jan Sangharsh Morcha, the organisation that was in the forefront of the agitation for a separate state in the 1990s.Any euphoria over the creation of the new state vanished the moment the BJP central leadership announced that the 74-year-old Swami would be Uttaranchal's first chief minister."How can we accept him? He joined the BJP not very long ago. And he does not belong to the hills," lamented Vimla Negi, convener of the BJP Mahila Morcha.Many BJP party workers in the area consider the ex-Congressman an outsider since he joined the party only in 1984. Locals have not forgotten the new chief minister's role in the Uttarakhand movement, either. At the height of the agitation, Swami is known to have spent most of his time in Lucknow away from the fray.The selection of Dehradun for the state capital, even as a provisional measure, has also made Uttarakhand activists livid. The people in the hills have always considered Dehradun part of the plains as it is situated in the foothills."It's ridiculous that the capital of a hill state should be in the plains. We certainly did not lead the movement to see this day. You will see the launch of a fresh movement very soon," thundered Rajiv Lochan Shah, Uttaranchal activist and a senior Nainital-based journalist. Shah will not lack support. Two days before the creation of the state, more than 31 organisations participated in a "warning rally". The protest ended with activists vowing to "continue to fight to have the state capital shifted from Dehradun to Gairsain in Chamoli district". Gairsain finds favour since it is equidistant from both the Kumaon and Garhwal regions of the new state. It will nicely balance expectations of both regions, unlike Dehradun which is in the Garhwal area. But meeting everyone's expectations on everything will be a very difficult tightrope act indeed in a milieu where even the governor's appointment is being viewed with suspicion.Flash Points The hill people want Gairsain rather than Dehradun as the capital.Locals allege the chief minister has been foisted upon them by the Centre.After delimitation, 40-45 assembly constituencies will lie in the plains.This raises fears of continued domination by people from the plains.When Surjit Singh Barnala was named the state's first governor, there was much rejoicing among the Sikhs who dominate Dehradun and Udham Singh Nagar. Thousands of Sikhs lined up to welcome him with chants of "Raj karega Khalsa". The hill people, ever sensitive to fears of domination, were not happy. .preferred-source-banner{ margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom:10px;}Most of them saw Barnala's appointment as an attempt by the Centre to appease the Sikhs who had earlier protested the inclusion of Udham Singh Nagar in the new state.Trouble is brewing, as few people in the hills are ready to accept the status quo. As far as they are concerned, the Centre has not dealt with the basic issues they raised: the plains versus hills debate, the allocation of a proper state capital and state government. For years, Uttarkhand is had fought not just for a geographical area but also for a separate socio-cultural identity. At the moment, this remains elusive.The state now has 23 MLAs carried over from the Uttar Pradesh Assembly, but after the delimitation exercise is done, between 40 and 45 assembly constituencies will fall in the plains in Udham Singh Nagar, Dehradun and Hardwar. This would in effect mean that the people from the plains will once again be calling the shots in the new state Assembly. Their dominance is bound to overshadow the sociocultural identity of the people of this tiny state.It was such apprehensions that saw the creation of a separate state in the first place. Now, with aspirations unmet, the stage is set for a fresh round of agitations. Swami will have his task cut out for him, if the indications are anything to go by. Already, there have been mobs of BJP party workers at the Uttaranchal headquarters shouting "sangharsh hamara, raj tumhara, nahin chalega (Our battle, your rule, won't do)". The oath taking ceremony - where Union Home Minister Lal Krishna Advani and Human Resources Development Minister Murli Manohar Joshi were present - had barely ended when hundreds of youths stormed the dais shouting slogans against him and demanding Gairsain as the capital. So far Swami has remained aloof, preferring to keep his own counsel. How he handles the situation remains to be seen. But for a man who has not contested elections in two decades, the sudden heat of battle could be a bit too much to handle.Published By: AtMigration Published On: Nov 20, 2000--- ENDS ---

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Uttaranchal: In spite of a new state now, why are the agitators unhappy?

They may have a state now, but those who led the agitation are unhappy with both the capital and the chief minister they have got.

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