New Delhi: Weeks after his controversial comments on the ‘hills versus plains’ issue in the Uttarakhand assembly, the state’s Finance and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Premchand Aggarwal resigned from the cabinet Sunday.
His departure—a fallout of the remarks and the infighting within the state’s BJP unit—was not unexpected. Many state leaders saw his statement as divisive and reopening past fault lines. The BJP central leadership, which wanted to effect changes in the state cabinet in the face of prominent leaders going against the state unit, acknowledged the sentiment and acted upon it, it is learnt.
The controversy that led to Aggarwal’s resignation broke out last month, when the minister reacted to a comment by Congress MLA Madan Bisht in the state assembly. “Is Uttarakhand only for people from the hills? Some came from Madhya Pradesh, others from Rajasthan. Are you dividing people into Kumaoni, Garhwali, ‘Pahadi’, and ‘Desi’? Did we fight for a state to fight like this? Is this why we sacrificed? Will you object [to what I say] just because I am an Aggarwal?” he asked.
His statement sparked protests, with Congress and social organisations raising the issue of ‘hills versus plains’ inside and outside the assembly and burning Aggarwal’s effigies. Then, BJP Uttarakhand president Mahendra Bhatt summoned Aggarwal to the party office, it is learnt, where BJP’s organisational Secretary Ajay Kumar was also present.
Aggarwal defended his statement before Bhatt, claiming his words had been twisted. He clarified that he never intended to target the ‘pahadi’ community as he had participated with them in the movement to form a separate state. Bhatt then instructed Aggarwal to choose his words more carefully in the future and asked him to apologise.
Aggarwal later expressed regret, asserting that he never meant to offend anyone. Defending Aggarwal at the time, Bhatt said: “He has clarified that whatever the interpretation, he did not mean it even remotely. Still, if there was an offensive word…it was not about the hills or the plains.”
At the time, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami also downplayed the issue, stressing that “Uttarakhand belongs to everyone”.
“There are different regions in the state, there are different places, and everyone will work together to take the state forward,” he said. However, the situation did not cool down.
After protesters held a demonstration in Gairsain, BJP state president Mahendra Bhatt hinted at political motivations behind the protests. “The 2027 elections are near and some street leaders are planning a movement. If the protests were aimed at the development of the state, it would have been understandable. But it is not right to protest to remove a minister,” he said.
However, despite this support for Aggarwal, the demands for his resignation only gained momentum, especially after prominent folk singer Narendra Singh Negi supported the protests against him. Negi’s endorsement gave the Opposition fresh momentum. Reacting to the wave, Bhatt posted a social media message, backing Aggarwal but refrained from criticising Negi, framing his statement as a response to political leaders and not the people.
As the issue snowballed, Speaker Ritu Khanduri, the daughter of former Chief Minister Bhuvan Chandra Khanduri, came under scrutiny for siding with the ruling party leader, Aggarwal. She prevented Congress MLA Lakhpat Singh Butola from raising his point on the issue in the House, leading to further controversy and condemnation from the Opposition and other outfits. Along with burning effigies of Khanduri, the Congress demanded an apology from the Speaker for perceived partisanship.
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Friendly fire
However, the division within the BJP deepened when former chief minister and Haridwar MP Trivendra Rawat publicly criticised Aggarwal and called for action against him. Premchand Aggarwal, incidentally, is the MLA of Rishikesh, which falls under Rawat’s Lok Sabha constituency.
Rawat said the BJP had taken cognisance of the issue but expressed confusion about how the party could address it or what words a condemnation or apology should entail. “This kind of incident has happened for the first time,” he said. “The Centre must also have taken cognisance or is taking cognisance of it.”
Recalling an incident during his CM tenure, he claimed he had to apologise for a BJP MLA’s inappropriate remarks about a woman colleague. Rawat also criticised Speaker Khanduri, comparing her actions to those of her father, who, he said, had a more balanced approach.
In addition to Rawat, BJP MP and media cell head Anil Baluni expressed his displeasure at Aggarwal in Kotdwar on 8 March, stating that the issue had been “painful” and “unfortunate”.
“I am the party chief spokesperson, and I have to maintain decorum, but I have performed duty by raising the matter strongly in proper forums,” Baluni said, indicating that he had conveyed his concerns to the leadership and that likely contributed to the growing pressure on Aggarwal to resign.
The state unit’s internal discord and mishandling of the matter compounded its complexity.
One Uttarakhand BJP minister highlighted that the main reason for Aggarwal’s resignation was the state unit’s failure to address the issue swiftly. In smaller states, such as Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, which have smaller constituencies, where people are well connected with their representatives, even minor issues could snowball into statewide problems.
The “hills versus plains” divide is particularly sensitive in Uttarakhand, a state formed after a long struggle. Considering that, the government has implemented stricter laws to prevent outsiders from purchasing land in Uttarakhand.
“Aggarwal’s failure to deliver a quick apology and his defence of his remarks led to growing protests, and if his resignation had not come, the situation could have escalated, potentially taking down others, such as Bhatt and Khanduri,” said the Uttarakhand BJP minister.
Another BJP leader pointed out that the upcoming cabinet expansion, with five vacant positions, had created an opportunity for state leaders to show off their support bases—which also factored into Aggarwal’s ouster.
Speaking to ThePrint, former BJP state president Madan Kaushik said Aggarwal’s remarks were in bad taste and led to the controversy. “The central leadership,” he noted, “wanted to avoid any further escalation.”
Another BJP MLA, Khajan Dass, told ThePrint: “Aggarwal should have unconditionally apologised on the floor of the House, where the issue first arose.” He said the delay contributed to the growing controversy. The deepening “hill versus plains” divide, which has existed since the statehood movement, only cemented the BJP leadership’s decision to act.
Infrastructure development in the remote hill areas is not as easy as in the plains, and past political tensions often had been framed as a Kumaon versus Garhwal. With Dehradun, Haridwar, and Udham Singh Nagar the historical strongholds of the Congress, the BJP cannot afford to inflame the divide, especially with the 2027 state elections looming. The BJP has consecutively won the assembly elections the last two times.
When contacted, a BJP leader, on the condition of anonymity, said, “With the assembly elections just two years away, the BJP cannot risk inflaming the divide between the hills and the plains and giving the Congress a chance to capitalise on this issue.”
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
