New Delhi, 19 October (H.S.): Ramsharan Nautiyal, father of renowned playback singer Jubin Nautiyal, joined the Congress on Monday, days after resigning from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He formally joined the party at the Congress headquarters in Delhi in the presence of Kumari Selja, Congress general secretary and party in-charge for Uttarakhand; state Congress president Ganesh Godiyal; Congress Working Committee member Gurdeep Singh Sappal; and Yashpal Arya, Leader of the Opposition in the Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly.

Addressing the gathering, Selja raised issues concerning the Election Commission, the Ankita Bhandari murder case and alleged corruption in the Uttarakhand government. She alleged that democratic institutions in the country were facing questions and said Rahul Gandhi had consistently highlighted alleged irregularities in electoral rolls. She also claimed that opposition parties, members of the public and two Election Commissioners had raised objections to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Referring to the Ankita Bhandari murder case, Selja said several aspects of the case remained uninvestigated despite the emergence of allegations concerning a purported VIP and the circulation of audio recordings. She alleged that Dushyant Gautam, whose name had surfaced in discussions surrounding the purported VIP, had not been questioned. She also questioned his appointment as the Governor of Sikkim.

Selja further referred to allegations of corruption levelled by the husband of Uttarakhand minister Rekha Arya against the state government. Questioning why the minister had not been removed from office despite the allegations, she asked what action Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami was taking in the matter. She said the Congress would launch a campaign in the state over these issues. The party has also announced plans to lay siege to the state Legislative Assembly on October 27 and 28, coinciding with the Assembly session.

Welcoming Ramsharan Nautiyal into the Congress, state party president Ganesh Godiyal expressed confidence that his induction would strengthen the organisation.

Godiyal also referred to allegations made by Rekha Arya’s husband concerning her purported benami assets and alleged stake in a company. He questioned the Enforcement Directorate, the Income Tax Department and the Central Bureau of Investigation about the action taken to investigate these allegations.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar