Uttarakhand Chief Minister and BJP leader Pushkar Singh Dhami on Monday attacked INDIA bloc leaders Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav, claiming that they have little understanding of the country as they have studied abroad.
In an interview with PTI-Bhasha here, Dhami also alleged that the Congress wants give reservations to a "particular community" from the quota meant for Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Other Backward Classes (OBC).
On Congress leader Gandhi and Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Yadav alleging "misuse" of central probe agencies such as the ED, the CBI and the Income Tax Department to target leaders of opposition parties, the BJP leader said, "These agencies are of the Congress era."
Dhami was in the Uttar Pradesh capital for the filing of nomination papers of Defence Minister Rajanth Singh who is contesting the Lok Sabha polls from Lucknow.
Asked about the alleged sex scandal in Karnataka involving JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda's grandson and Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna, he said the law will take its course against anyone who violates it.
Dhami also targeted the INDIA bloc, formed by opposition parties to take on the ruling BJP in the Lok Sabha polls, saying, "This is an alliance of people promoting family causes, corruption and appeasement..."
This alliance of opposition parties is to safeguard their existence and that is why the country does not believe them, he said.
To a question on Gandhi and Yadav alleging that the BJP is seeking more than 400 seats in the Lok Sabha to change the Constitution and end reservations, Dhami said, "They have studied abroad. Hence, they have no proper understanding of the country."
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP are supporters of reservations for SC, ST and OBC. The two have studied abroad. They have little understanding of the country," he said.
The Uttarakhand chief minister exuded confidence that the BJP will win all the five Lok Sabha seats in the state.
"We don't have to fight with anybody for five Lok Sabha seats in Uttarakhand. Our fight is with ourselves as to who wins with the maximum margin," Dhami said.
On the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), he said it has become a legislation in Uttarakhand and "we feel happy that the BJP has taken a vow in its 'sankalp patra (manifesto)' to implement it across the country".
The Uttarakhand assembly on February 7 passed the Uniform Civil Code Bill. The Bill got the president's assent in March, making Uttarakhand the first state in the country after Independence to take a decisive step towards implementing the common law on marriage, divorce, land, property and inheritance for all citizens, irrespective of their religion.
On the arrests of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader and former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren, Dhami said that Prime Minister Modi has said "na khaunga na khana doonga". The law is taking its course, he said, referring to the BJP-led Centre's zero-tolerance towards corruption policy.
The AAP and the JMM are also members of the INDIA bloc.
On forest fires in Uttarakhand, Dhami said, "We are moving towards controlling the fires". These have been controlled to a great extent, he said and added that in some districts, "we have controlled the fires".
Holidays of forest department personnel have been cancelled and responsibility fixed to control the fires, the chief minister said and added that the help of the army is also being taken.
"Such incidents happen every year. This time it is more. We have taken action... Taking strict action by filing cases (against the guilty). The environment should be preserved," Dhami said while responding to a question.
On Sunday, forest officials in Uttarakhand capital Dehradun said efforts have been intensified to extinguish the raging forest fires in the state, especially in the worst-affected areas of Nainital, Haldwani and Ramnagar forest divisions.
The forest fires are gradually being controlled with flames already doused in many areas. The fires in Marora and Khanana civil areas in the Maniknath range of the Narendranagar forest division have been completely extinguished, the officials had said.
