"My statement was presented in a wrong way": Uttarakhand minister Premchand Aggarwal over land bill row

Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], February 22 (ANI): Uttarakhand Parliamentary Affairs and Finance Minister Premchand Aggarwal reacted to the outrage that was created due to his statement in the legislative assembly. Speaking to ANI, Aggarwal stated that his statement was presented in a wrong way and twisted. Aggarwal added that people from all over the country come to live in Uttarakhand and everyone is from the state and it is ours.
"I had also clarified in the House that some people are presenting my statement in a wrong way by twisting it. I had said that people from all parts of the country live in Uttarakhand. We all are from Uttarakhand and Uttarakhand is ours", he said.
Aggarwal expressed his heartfelt regret and apologised if anyone was hurt knowingly or unknowingly by his statement.
"It is embedded in our hearts. I had spoken about the whole of Uttarakhand. My statement was presented in a wrong way. I feel that due to this, the feelings of many people have been hurt. It is not my nature to cause pain to anyone because of me. Therefore, whoever has been hurt knowingly or unknowingly, I express my heartfelt regret for that and I apologise to them...", he added.
Earlier in a heated discussion with a Congress MLA the Minister had questioned whether Uttarakhand was only for the people of the Hills.
The Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly passed the Uttarakhand (Uttar Pradesh Zamindari Destruction and Land Reforms Act, 1950) (Amendment) Bill, 2025 on Friday. CM Pushkar Singh Dhami hailed the passing of the bill and stated that it is part of 'historic' decisions taken by his government.
'"We have taken historic decisions in the state, including the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code. We have brought the country's toughest anti-cheating law for the youth... We have made laws to prevent conversion and riots... We are taking the state towards innovation. We try to fulfil what we say, and the land reform law is also a step we have taken in that direction", he said on Friday.
While discussing the bill in the Assembly, CM Dhami stated that the main intention of the amendment was not to end but the beginning of land reforms. The state government stated that the bill has laid the foundation of land reforms in line with public sentiment. He added that work on land reforms and management will continue in the future. (ANI)