Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami Slams Akhilesh Yadav Over 'Infiltrator' Remark

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami responded sharply on Saturday to Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav's reported "ghuspaithiya" (infiltrator) remark targeting a person from the hill state.

According to a video shared by news agency IANS, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister was reported saying, "Who is the biggest infiltrator in Uttar Pradesh? He is from Uttarakhand." The reported remarks appeared directed at Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who was born in Pauri Garhwal district when it was part of undivided Uttar Pradesh before Uttarakhand was carved out in 2000.

Chief Minister Dhami's Response

In response, Chief Minister Dhami accused Akhilesh Yadav of insulting the people of Uttarakhand. Dhami posted statements on social media criticizing the remarks.

• Defense of Devbhoomi: Dhami described Uttarakhand as both Devbhoomi (land of Gods) and Veerbhoomi (land of the brave), stating that the soil has given the nation saints, soldiers, and individuals devoted to national service.
• Invocation of 1994 Incident: Dhami referenced the 1994 Rampur Tiraha firing incident in Muzaffarnagar, where Uttar Pradesh Police opened fire on activists campaigning for a separate Uttarakhand state during the tenure of Akhilesh Yadav's father, the late Mulayam Singh Yadav, who was then the Uttar Pradesh chief minister.

Questions Raised for Congress

Chief Minister Dhami also questioned whether the Congress party, an ally of the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh, supported Akhilesh Yadav's remarks. He asked whether calling the people of Uttarakhand infiltrators was acceptable to Congress and stated that the party must answer the people of the state.

Context and Verification

Both Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand are scheduled to hold assembly elections early next year. The BJP has been in power in both states since 2017. Readers can verify official political announcements and statements directly through verified social media accounts of the respective leaders and official government press releases.