Dehradun, Nov. 6 -- The opposition utilised the third day of the special three-day assembly session to commemorate Uttarakhand's statehood by seeking to corner the state government over its alleged communal rhetoric. Speaking during the session, Tilak Raj Behar, Congress MLA from Kiccha, said, "Today, there are repeated claims targeting certain communities and alleging undue rise in population. When this state was formed, everyone was welcome and lived here... If the population has risen over the years, that is the government's responsibility to address." Other Congress MLAs in the House reiterated Behar's contention. "It is not a good sign for Uttarakhand if efforts to disturb communal harmony are made in this land, which houses shrines like Gangotri, Yamunotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath, as well as places like Hemkund Sahib, Nanakmatta Sahib and Piran Kaliyar," said Chakrata MLA Pritam Singh. Meanwhile, chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami defended his government, saying that it was the administration's duty to protect the "Devbhoomi" adding that past regimes with appeasement politics had failed to do so. He said that the government's strict anti-conversion laws, as well as measures against alleged "love jihad", which is a dubious term used by right-wing groups to describe interfaith relationship and, the consequences of interfaith marriages, as well as alleged "land jihad", a similarly dubious talking point which targets land acquisition for construction of Islamic places of worship. "We are talking about land jihad," said Dhami. "Our opponents will object, but when we take action against land jihad, we are talking cases of fake shrines being built to illegally occupy government property. What is wrong with removing illegal encroachments? Is that not as per the proper procedure of law? Our intention is not to target anyone. Uttarakhand is a peaceful place where everyone lives together," he added. Other BJP MLAs and cabinet members highlighted the work of the state government in various other administrative avenues. Cabinet minister and MLA from Someshwar, Rekha Arya, said the state government introduced a provision of 30% horizontal reservation for women and the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), which she said empowers women and ensures gender equality. BJP MLA from Didihat, Bishan Singh Chuphal, said that numerous schemes have also been launched to promote youth talent in sports and sports infrastructure has been developed across the state....