Dehradun, Sept. 16 -- Yamunotri MLA Sanjay Dobhal on Monday alleged that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government was deliberately neglecting his constituency because it could not accept the fact that the people had elected an Independent representative. Addressing a press conference in Dehradun, Dobhal said, "The only misfortune of the people of Yamunotri is that the government cannot digest the fact that their MLA is independent and other local representatives are also independents. I had hoped that the government would not act in this manner and that the work of my constituency would eventually be taken up. From time to time, I have met the chief minister and also corresponded with the government, but my constituency and I, as its MLA, continue to be ignored." The MLA said several projects had been approved during his three and a half years in office, but their progress was extremely slow. "In my constituency, the construction of the Rajiv Navodaya School was approved around 1.5 years ago after a demand of 20 years. Since then, not even five per cent of the work has been completed. Despite repeated requests to the contractor, there has been hardly any progress. Contrastingly, a similar school in Rudraprayag is almost ready," he alleged. He further said that the master plan of Yamunotri was yet to be prepared, while the ropeway project had seen no progress despite several representations to officials and ministers. "Payments for many works are either delayed or stopped midway. Why are schemes not being implemented on the ground? Why is so much delay happening only in my constituency? This is a conspiracy," Dobhal alleged "The government does not want an Independent MLA to succeed because they fear it may create difficulties for them during the 2027 assembly elections," Dobhal alleged. He also accused the government of conspiring to disrupt the Char Dham Yatra, which directly affects livelihoods. "The economy of Garhwal depends on the Char Dham. In Yamunotri, every individual is directly or indirectly connected with it. But the government's conspiracy is to obstruct the pilgrimage. Devotees coming to Yamunotri are stopped at various points and made to stand for 10-12 hours, which sends a negative message. They are made to feel as if they are gangsters or terrorists," the legislator said. Dobhal added that despite his repeated requests, funds for Yamunotri Dham works were always released at the wrong time and the work could not progress. "I keep pressing for funds to be released in September or October so that work can be completed as soon as the Yatra ends. But the government releases money only in April, when the Yatra begins. There is always a shortage of funds. The arrangements at the Dham remain in a very poor state," he said. In the 2022 assembly elections, Dobhal was elected as an Independent MLA from the Yamunotri constituency in Uttarkashi district. He defeated Deepak Bijalwan of Congress by 6,639 votes. BJP state media in-charge Manveer Singh Chauhan, however, dismissed the allegations. He said, "The Yamunotri MLA is under the pressure of the mining mafia. Until recently, he never raised his voice about development works in his constituency. Just a few days ago, from Chief Minister Dhami's stage, he said that if he asks the CM for Rs.5, the CM would give him Rs.25. And today, he is levelling allegations of neglect. I believe the MLA is acting under someone's pressure. The extensive campaign launched against illegal mining could also be a reason for his discomfort....