The Congress has decided to make the neglect of the summer capital Gairsain a major issue during the ongoing budget session of the Assembly. 

Former chief minister Harish Rawat sat on a silent protest on the neglect of Gairsain at Gandhi Park here on Monday. The Congress legislators are expected to raise the issue of Gairsain in the house on Tuesday while the party organisation led by Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Karan Mahara will camp in Gairsain on Tuesday. The party has given a call to organise a symbolic Assembly session in Gairsain and the other parties of the INDIA bloc will attend this session.

After holding a silent protest for one hour, Rawat launched an attack on the government for neglecting Gairsian. He said that the State government has insulted Gairsain by holding the budget session of the Assembly in Dehradun.

In a sarcastic attack on the government, Rawat said that the government is catching a cold at the idea of holding a session in Gairsain. He said that the Assembly had passed a resolution in the past that the budget session will be organised in Gairsain. He said that it appears that the government has forgotten Gairsain after spending crores of rupees there. Rawat expressed concern at the fact that the MLAs of the Himalayan State are afraid of cold weather in Gairsain. Rawat added that the decision of the Congress party and its alliance partners to hold a symbolic session in Gairsain is an innovative attempt to express the sentiments of the people of the State.

PCC president Mahara said that the public session in Gairsain will be held to hold discussions on the subjects of land laws, crime against women, injustice to Ankita Bhandari, increasing unemployment in the State, deteriorating law and order situation in state, bad condition of the health services, recruitment scams, Agniveer scheme, Joshimath subsidence, Raini disaster and prevailing corruption in the government.