- In his second stint, Pushkar Singh Dhami has announced a slew of reforms including the implementation of UCC
- His actions have shot him into limelight, which was missing during his last term
- Dhami is shedding the legacy of Raghubar Das Syndrome which stopped many BJP leaders from achieving their full potential
Due to his tendency to remain non-controversial, Pushkar Singh Dhami remained a silent face of BJP during assembly elections. This became the primary reason why he lost his seat. Dhami has learnt his lesson and this is evident in the slew of reforms he has taken in just after coming to power.
The poll promise of UCC implementation
No one could announce his return as emphatically as Pushkar Singh Dhami has done. A day before his swearing-in ceremony, Dhami announced that he would be implementing Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the state. “Soon after our oath-taking ceremony, the upcoming BJP government will form a committee of those with knowledge of the legal system, retired employees, prominent people from society, and other stakeholders. This committee will prepare a draft of the UCC for the people of Uttarakhand. This UCC will be for equal laws on subjects such as marriage, divorce, land, property and inheritance issues for people of all religions,” said Dhami.
Dhami had also said that UCC would be a stepping stone towards fulfilling the dream of equality for all religions. It was articulated by Constitutional makers in Article 44 of our Constitution. “The apex court, too, has time to time not only emphasised its implementation but also expressed dissatisfaction over not taking any step in this direction,” added Pushkar Singh Dhami.
Read more: How Pushkar Dhami’s retention will change the fate of Uttarakhand
UCC implementation by Dhami government
During the normal course of affairs, this kind of announcement is described as an overenthusiastic move. But Pushkar Singh Dhami was dead serious about his intentions. During his interaction with the media after the first cabinet meeting of his government, Dhami announced that the Uttarakhand government has decided to form a committee of experts to oversee the nitty-gritty of the implementation of UCC. The announcement grabbed national headlines and it drew mixed reactions from different quarters.
While the nationalists welcomed the move, Islamists were visibly shaken by the announcement. The tremors were felt in America as well. The Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) condemned UCC implementation. IAMC termed the decision as reeking of Hindu Supremacy and claimed that it would lead to erasure of Muslims and Christians.
Read more: Indian American Muslim Council goes berserk over Pushkar Singh Dhami’s decision on UCC
Pushkar Singh Dhami was unshaken. Within a few days, he announced that the committee is working on the first draft and UCC will be implemented as soon as the final draft is ready.
Dhami bulldozing encroachers
Shortly, Dhami’s other decision shot him into the limelight. Walking in the footsteps of other BJP leaders like Yogi Adityanath and Shivaraj Singh Chouhan, Pushkar Singh Dhami launched a bulldozer drive against the encroachment in Uttarakhand. In the Haldwani district, the state government earmarked 4,356 illegal constructions for demolition. These are built on official lands allocated for Railways.
The Dhami government decided to remove them in a phased manner. The bulldozer targeted different buildings in specified areas. As expected, Congress was not happy. Sumit Hridayesh, the Congress MLA from Haldwani had planned to stifle the move through a time tested method of civil protests. However, the Dhami government proactively cornered Hridayesh in his Bungalow.
Read more: Dhami announces his return to power with UCC implementation
100 days agenda is part of the course corrective measure
Pushkar Singh Dhami has also pounced on his 100 days agenda. Currently, he has inducted 8 ministers into his cabinet but has signalled that he is open to cabinet reshuffling after watching their performance over the next 100 days. Displacement in Gairsain, Land reforms, immigration, Police grade pay, and reintroduction of the old pension system are some of the key agendas of the Dhami government.
Even in his previous stint as chief minister, Dhami was proactive in correcting the mistakes of his predecessors. Dhami’s efforts towards implementing covid relief programmes became one of the main catalysts to usher in votes from common folks. Towards the end of the previous stint, the Uttarakhand government also repealed the Devasthanam Board Act which took away the rights of Bhakts to manage Char Dham’s affairs.
The well-wishers of the Hindu Community often complain about one specific problem with the BJP. Its leaders often do well, but they fail to portray their achievements, which ends up hurting their electoral cause. Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ji is also an unfortunate name on this list. However, the new generation of BJP leaders are shedding this legacy and Pushkar Singh Dhami is the latest one to do it.