{
  "id": 20035783,
  "title": "Uttarakhand CM in attendance, Congress MLA throws microphone, challenges him to contest",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/14/uttarakhand-cm-in-attendance-congress-mla-throws-microphone-20035783",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-14T19:02:07.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Indian Express - India",
    "slug": "the-indian-express-india",
    "url": "https://indianexpress.com/article/india/uttarakhand-harish-pushkar-singh-dhami-microphone-thrown-10963407/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "At the Jauljibi fair in Uttarakhand's Pithoragarh district, a political confrontation erupted on Saturday. Congress MLA Harish Singh Dhami from Dharchula threw a microphone and confronted staff on stage, claiming he had been denied the chance to address the gathering in the presence of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.\n\nFollowing the Chief Minister's inauguration of the fair, the MLA was reportedly angered when his microphone was switched off after he attempted to speak. In a video statement, Dhami alleged that the government and the Chief Minister pressured the sound system to be muted. He questioned why, as an MLA representing Dharchula, he was denied a platform to voice concerns about unfulfilled development promises and road conditions.\n\nDhami highlighted past announcements made by the government in 2022 regarding the beautification and development of the Jauljibi fairground, asking where the promised work had gone. He also criticized the proposed civil lines in Dharchula and road projects in the region. The MLA brought up an unfortunate incident involving an eight-year-old child who had died in a road accident two days prior, questioning the state of road infrastructure in the area.\n\nDhami's confrontation extended to questioning the Chief Minister's courage, calling him \"Darpok Dhami\" (coward Dhami) in a direct challenge. He offered to contest the 2027 Assembly elections from Dharchula if permitted by his party and accused the Chief Minister of violating established protocol by leaving before Dhami could address the gathering.\n\nThe Congress party supported Dhami, with spokesperson Garima Dasauni accusing the Chief Minister and organizers of violating protocol by not allowing the local MLA to speak. Dasauni stated that the episode was not just an insult to Dhami but also to the people of Dharchula and Munsiyari.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}