The Opposition parties in Uttarakhand staged a dharna at the gates of the Assembly on Friday in protest against what they called the “adamant attitude” of the BJP Government in the state.

Chief Minister Maj Gen B C Khanduri is scheduled to present the state Budget on March 10. “We will have our ‘parallel’

Budget session at the Assembly gates on that day,” Leader of Opposition Harak Singh Rawat said.

However, in the absence of the Opposition members, the House transacted its business normally. Congress and BSP legislators have been on the warpath against the Khanduri Government since the beginning of the Budget session.

They had been demanding a discussion on the delay in granting caste certificates as well as the discriminatory attitude of the state Government towards Opposition legislators in their respective areas.

Meanwhile, in a bid to embarrass the CM, the Opposition MLAs played ‘sarangis’ at the dharna. “Khanduriji only listens to his principal secretary P K Sarangi, so some young legislators played sarangis in a bid to make his Government listen,” said Rawat.