Key Points

The former Uttarakhand Chief Minister stated that it's "unfortunate" that the youth are now getting driven to another vile habit i.e. resorting to betting in the IPL games than taking drug.

In an interview with IANS, Harish Rawat also criticised the government for removing slums near the riverbeds in Dehradun, especially near Rispana and Bindal rivers, alleging that a conspiracy is being hatched to displace the residents.

Rawat also addressed Cabinet Minister Ganesh Joshi's remarks against him, the long traffic jams troubling people across the state, the violence in West Bengal's Murshidabad, and the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) summons to Robert Vadra, the husband of Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

Following are the excerpts from the interview:

IANS: The government is talking about new employment opportunities for the youth. Do you think the situation has improved?

Harish Rawat: Employment is nowhere to be seen. The government only talks about it; however, it hasn't reached the people. There is a lot of restlessness among the youth. Fortunately, the IPL is keeping them occupied. Now, they are focusing on betting in the games instead of turning to drugs -- it's because of the betting happening during IPL matches. But, when it comes to employment, the youth remain extremely restless.

IANS: The state government is identifying and removing people who have been living near the Rispana and Bindal rivers. What is your take on this?

Harish Rawat: Our government had passed a law for the regularisation of these slums in the assembly in 2016. It was passed unanimously. Around 1,000 people were also given ownership lease rights, but the new government stopped the entire process. Now, the homes of people who have been living along the elevated road for 14-15 years are being marked for demolition.

A conspiracy is being hatched to remove them. How can you take away someone's home without providing alternative housing? They have electricity and water bills dating back 14-15 years. And now they are being removed. I observed an hour of silent fast for them today, and I will continue my penance during the months of May and June.

IANS: Long traffic jams are troubling people across the state. Why do you think the government is not addressing this issue?

Harish Rawat: The government should have developed the roads keeping in mind the daily volume of traffic. Looking at how the roads have been developed, it's clear they should have been expanded, and alternative routes should have been created to control congestion. But the government didn't bother.

The Delhi-Dehradun fast route, currently under construction will make the traffic situation in Dehradun even worse. We had begun efforts so that vehicles traveling to other districts wouldn't need to cross Dehradun. For example, people going toward Chakrata or Paonta Sahib wouldn't have to enter Dehradun. We had built a bypass for the people of Tehri. The Narendra Nagar bypass is functioning well.

Meanwhile, not a single flyover has been built in the city in the last 8-10 years. Today, traffic jams are affecting 12-14 of our cities.

IANS: While speaking to IANS, Cabinet Minister Ganesh Joshi said that you should retire from politics and settle in an ashram in Haridwar. What is your response?

Harish Rawat: He has settled many people in drains and ditches; if he can settle me in a hut somewhere, that would be fine with me. I don't mind sitting there. Let's not forget that he broke the leg of a horse, Shaktiman, who was the pride of Uttarakhand. However, I'm on good terms with him. He is a cheerful person.

IANS: What do you think about the violence in West Bengal's Murshidabad? Should the President's Rule be imposed there?

Harish Rawat: Those who came to Murshidabad to incite riots came from Bangladesh. This is a failure of the central government, which has not been able to stop infiltration at the border. The number of Bangladeshi infiltrators has increased. The riots in Murshidabad were sponsored. Bangladeshi communists were involved.

I also believe the state police failed to stop them. They should have acted. Law and order are a state subject. There is an elected government. If it fails to act, the public will hold it accountable.

IANS: The ED has started interrogating Robert Vadra. What are your thoughts on this?

Harish Rawat: The ED has been created solely for the Gandhi-Nehru family, the Congress family, and the opposition. The central government is misusing the ED. They haven't found anything in all these years, yet they keep asking the same questions over and over. In the end, nothing comes out of it. This is the reason that the ED's prosecution rate is very low.

- IANS