New Delhi: Senior Uttarakhand leader Ramsharan Nautiyal, father of Bollywood singer Jubin Nautiyal, joined the Congress on Monday, days after resigning from the BJP, even as the opposition party launched a scathing attack on the Pushkar Singh Dhami government over the Ankita Bhandari murder case and corruption allegations.
Nautiyal makes his re-entry into the Congress, which he left in 2014. His move comes months ahead of the 2027 Uttarakhand Assembly elections, as political parties begin preparing for the crucial electoral contest in the hill state.
Nautiyal, a former Dehradun district panchayat president who had also contested an Assembly election on a BJP ticket, joined the Congress at the party headquarters in the presence of Uttarakhand Congress in-charge Kumari Selja, state party president Ganesh Godiyal, Leader of Opposition Yashpal Arya and Congress Working Committee member Gurdeep Sappal.
Welcoming him, Congress leaders said his political experience and influence would strengthen the party in Uttarakhand.
Addressing the press conference, Selja questioned the impartiality of the CBI investigation into the Ankita Bhandari murder case, alleging that several crucial aspects, including the alleged VIP angle, had not been properly investigated.
She claimed that BJP leader Dushyant Gautam’s name had surfaced in connection with the alleged VIP angle and questioned his appointment as Governor of Sikkim. Selja also said Ankita’s parents were seeking justice but had faced detention in Delhi instead of receiving a hearing.
“Everyone knows what the current situation in Uttarakhand is like. Democracy is being shredded across the entire country, be it the SIR issue, the role of the Chief Election Commissioner or the conduct of the Election Commission of India. Our leader Rahul Gandhi has been consistently speaking out about ‘vote theft’, Selja said.
Targeting the state government over corruption allegations against minister Rekha Arya, Selja questioned why she had not been removed from the Cabinet and why Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami was allegedly protecting her.
State unit President Godiyal and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Arya also demanded a transparent investigation into the alleged VIP connection, alleging that Uttarakhand was witnessing growing lawlessness, crimes against women and corruption.
The Congress leaders referred to allegations levelled by Arya’s husband, who has accused her of possessing benami assets worth Rs 210 crore and holding an 80 per cent stake in a company. They questioned why central agencies, including the ED, Income Tax Department and CBI, had not examined the allegations.
Godiyal welcomed Nautiyal’s induction, saying his return would “further strengthen” the party in the state. He added that Nautiyal’s specific role and responsibilities within the organisation would be decided at a later stage.
Arya also welcomed Nautiyal’s return, describing it as a homecoming.
“Ramsharan Nautiyal has traditionally been aligned with the Congress ideology and has played an important role in the party over the past several decades. He has served as the former Chairman of the Dehradun District Panchayat and held the responsibilities of General Secretary and Vice President in the Uttarakhand Congress. His return to the party is certainly a homecoming, and this is a welcome occasion,” Arya told IANS.
The Congress announced a statewide yatra ahead of the October 27-28 Assembly session and said it would gherao the Uttarakhand Assembly on October 27 to protest against the murder case, corruption, crimes against women and the BJP government’s policies.
–IANS–
