‘UCC about women security, not surveillance’

Religious freedom fully intact in U'khand, allegations driven by professional agitators, says CM Pushkar Singh Dhami

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AFTER breaking Uttarakhand's decades-old political jinx in 2022-becoming the first party to win back-to-back mandates since the state's creation-the BJP under Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has moved with renewed force, pushing landmark measures such as the Uniform Civil Code.

As the state goes to polls in 2027, Dhami speaks to Narendra Sethi about his development roadmap and the strategy behind the BJP's bid for an unprecedented third term. Excerpts:

As Uttarakhand completes 25 years of statehood, how do you assess your government's contribution to this development journey?

Uttarakhand has completed 25 years. The people of this state have given the BJP the opportunity to serve for nearly 15 of those years. The 'real' development of the state has occurred during these 15 years. Revered Atal Bihari Vajpayee not only gave us a separate state but also provided a special industrial package early on. Following that, since 2014, the state has continuously received the blessings of Prime Minister Modi ji. The progress achieved over the last 11 years, driven by the cooperation of the Central Government, is visible to everyone. Currently, various projects worth over two lakh crore rupees are underway in Uttarakhand. Through these efforts, the state's economy has expanded 26 times, and the per capita income has grown 17-fold.