CM Dhami credits Vajpayee for Uttarakhand's creation, targets Congress
Synopsis
Ahead of Uttarakhand's 26th Statehood Day on 9 November, CM Pushkar Singh Dhami shared a quote from Home Minister Amit Shah crediting Vajpayee's NDA government for creating the state in 2000, while accusing Congress and SP of suppressing the statehood movement.
Key Takeaways
CM Pushkar Singh Dhami shared a quote attributed to Union Home Minister Amit Shah on 6 November 2026 , three days before Uttarakhand's Statehood Day.
The quote credits the BJP-led NDA government under Atal Bihari Vajpayee with creating Uttarakhand on 9 November 2000 .
Congress and the Samajwadi Party are accused of suppressing the decades-long statehood movement.
Uttarakhand was carved out of Uttar Pradesh under the Uttar Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2000 , alongside Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand.
The messaging is part of BJP's consistent political narrative in hill states and comes ahead of Uttarakhand assembly elections in 2027 .
Three days before Uttarakhand Statehood Day on 9 November, the debate over who deserves credit — and who deserves blame — for the hill state's birth is back in full force. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Friday, 6 November 2026, shared a pointed quote attributed to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, reigniting the long-running political argument over the state's hard-won creation in 2000.
The quote, as shared by CM Dhami, reads: 'Varshon tak Uttarakhand ki janta prithak rajya ke gathan ke liye sangharsh karti rahi, lekin Congress aur SP ne rajya andolan ko dabane ka kaam kiya.' ('For years the people of Uttarakhand struggled for a separate state, but Congress and the Samajwadi Party worked to suppress the statehood movement.') It goes on to credit the BJP government under revered former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee with fulfilling that decades-old demand by creating the state of Uttarakhand.
The 2000 trifurcation and Vajpayee's role
The claim has a clear factual foundation. The BJP-led NDA government under Atal Bihari Vajpayee enacted the Uttar Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2000, which carved three new states out of then-existing ones — Uttarakhand (from Uttar Pradesh), Chhattisgarh (from Madhya Pradesh), and Jharkhand (from Bihar) — all coming into existence on 9 November 2000. The Uttarakhand statehood movement had simmered for decades, gaining particular momentum after the Muzaffarnagar violence of 1994, when a state-organised march demanding a separate hill state was met with a police crackdown — an episode that remains a flashpoint in the region's political memory.
Congress and SP in the crosshairs
The charge against the Indian National Congress and the Samajwadi Party is a staple of BJP's political messaging in Uttarakhand. The argument holds that Congress governments, which presided over Uttar Pradesh and the Centre for significant stretches of the 1980s and 1990s, delayed and at times actively obstructed the statehood demand. The SP, rooted in western Uttar Pradesh's political arithmetic, is accused of viewing the reorganisation as a loss of territory and influence. Neither party has ever formally accepted these characterisations.
Statehood Day politics ahead of November 9
The timing of the post is deliberate and familiar. Every year as 9 November approaches, BJP leaders in Uttarakhand amplify the founding narrative — positioning the party as the creator of the state and its opponents as historical obstructors. With Uttarakhand assembly elections due in 2027, that narrative carries fresh electoral weight. CM Dhami has consistently used Statehood Day messaging to reinforce his government's claim as the natural steward of the state Vajpayee built.
The hill state turns 26 years old this Sunday — and the politics of its birth, it seems, age rather slowly.
Point of View
Not mere nostalgia. By centering Vajpayee as the state's creator and framing Congress and SP as obstructors, the party cements an origin story that is difficult for opposition parties to contest on factual grounds — the Vajpayee government did enact the reorganisation. The strategy is especially potent in a state where the statehood movement produced genuine martyrs and deep community memory. With 2027 elections on the horizon, CM Dhami's amplification of Amit Shah's framing signals that the founding narrative will remain a central pillar of the BJP's Uttarakhand campaign.
NationPress
6 Nov 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
When was Uttarakhand created as a separate state?
Uttarakhand was created on 9 November 2000 when it was carved out of Uttar Pradesh under the Uttar Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2000, by the BJP-led NDA government under Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
What did CM Dhami post about Uttarakhand Statehood Day?
CM Dhami shared a quote attributed to Union Home Minister Amit Shah crediting Vajpayee's BJP government for creating Uttarakhand while accusing Congress and the Samajwadi Party of suppressing the statehood movement.
What is Uttarakhand Statehood Day?
Uttarakhand Statehood Day is observed on 9 November every year to mark the formation of the state in 2000. In 2026, the state celebrates its 26th Foundation Day .
What role did Atal Bihari Vajpayee play in Uttarakhand's formation?
As Prime Minister leading the NDA government, Atal Bihari Vajpayee enacted the legislation that created Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand simultaneously on 9 November 2000.
Why are Congress and SP blamed for delaying Uttarakhand statehood?
BJP leaders argue that Congress governments at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh, along with the Samajwadi Party, delayed and obstructed the statehood demand through the 1980s and 1990s — most notably during the 1994 state crackdown on the statehood march.
