The Bharatiya Janata Party candidate from Garhwal Lok Sabha constituency was not visible in the region when disaster struck, the Congress candidate from the constituency, Ganesh Godiyal said. He was addressing a public gathering in Joshimath after taking out a roadshow in the town on Monday. Godiyal said that his morale is being boosted by the number of women, youths and elderly coming to his gatherings and the support he is receiving from the public.
The Congress and INDIA bloc joint candidate Godiyal said that he is standing against the anti-public policies of the BJP government in this election. “The BJP government at the Centre has duped the people for 10 years now. They are threatening and forcing people from the opposition to join the BJP but I am not afraid and will fight with all my strength. I am grateful for the public support I am receiving, especially from the women,” he said. Godiyal further alleged that members of the BJP were involved in the murder of Ankita Bhandari, due to which action is not being taken against the guilty in this case. Referring to allegations about him being from ‘outside’, he said that he had lived outside Uttarakhand for some years but has been serving the people of the region continuously since 1998.
