DEHRADUN: A Congress MLA allegedly vandalised a stage at the Jauljibi Fair in Uttarakhand after he was denied an opportunity to address the gathering in the presence of chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, who inaugurated the event near the India-Tibet border.Microphones and chairs were allegedly thrown around on the stage after the chief minister left the venue, triggering a political row between the Congress and BJP.The BJP condemned the conduct of Dharchula MLA Harish Dhami, particularly the “abusive language” he allegedly used against the chief minister and demanded that an FIR be registered against him.‘I am the chairperson’Harish Dhami later said he was the “chairperson” of the fair but was not allowed to speak or raise the concerns of local residents before the chief minister.“I am the chairperson of this fair, yet I was not even given the chance to speak or present the demands of the local people to the chief minister,” he said.“This government is corrupt and is afraid of the opposition. The chief minister lacks the courage to hear the truth about the rampant corruption in the state,” Harish added further.Shortly after the incident, Congress workers also staged a protest, questioning why another Congress MLA from the district, Mayukh Singh Mahar, had not been invited to the inauguration.District Congress president Mukesh Pant said the government’s decision to leave out an elected representative amounted to a disregard for democratic values.“By failing to invite an elected representative from the district, the government has completely disregarded all values,” he said.‘Wanted to raise two issues’In a subsequent social media post, Harish Dhami said he had wanted to raise two issues with the government: the death of an eight-year-old girl in the region two days earlier and concerns over road connectivity in Kanar.“Was raising one’s voice on such serious matters constituted a crime?” he asked.“Chief minister, a fair is not merely a platform to sing praises of the government. It is a democratic forum to voice the problems, suffering and rights of the people of this state. As an elected representative, it is my moral and constitutional duty to bring forth the concerns of the people of my constituency,” Harish added further.The BJP, however, criticised the MLA’s behaviour and said the event had already been shortened because of the chief minister’s time constraints.BJP hits backSenior BJP leader Mahendra Singh Budiyal condemned the language allegedly used by Harish Dhami against the chief minister while addressing the gathering.“The abusive language used by the MLA against the chief minister is condemnable. The BJP views this as a sign of the MLA’s frustration, as the Congress party’s support base in the Dharchula assembly constituency is weakening,” Budiyal said.He said the BJP’s district unit had decided that cultural programmes at the fair would not be allowed if an FIR was not registered against Harish Dhami by Sunday afternoon.Earlier, Pushkar Dhami inaugurated the 10-day Jauljibi Fair, which showcases goods and cultural traditions from Tibet, India and Nepal.The fair has historically reflected trade links between the three regions. This year’s stalls feature woollen goods brought from Tibet through the India-Tibet trade route, alongside products sold by Indian and Nepalese traders.(With inputs from PTI)