PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/ Dehradun
Following the stern view taken by the Congress high command on his Dhanyawad and Jan Samwad Yatra, senior Congress leader and former chief minister Harish Rawat will submit an explanation to the party leadership in New Delhi on Wednesday. The in-charge of Uttarakhand Congress Kumari Selja said that Rawat will submit an explanation for organising the Yatra without taking the party leadership of centre and State into confidence.
Pertinently, Selja had written a letter to Rawat asking him not to go ahead with the proposed Yatra of Terai belt of the State on October 5 and 6. She said that there was no discussion with her and the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Ganesh Godiyal for the Yatra of Harish Rawat. In the letter, she said that since the Vidhan Sabha elections in the State are near, there is a need to work unitedly. However, Rawat ignored the advice of the state party in-charge and went ahead with his plan to undertake the Yatra from Jaspur of Udham Singh Nagar district on Monday. The Yatra received tremendous response from the party workers and the general public at Jaspur, Kashipur, Kaladhungi and Ramanagar. The Yatra of Rawat reached Haldwani at around midnight on Monday where he addressed a large gathering of party workers and leaders. He appealed to the people to throw the BJP out of power in the Vidhan Sabha elections of 2027 in the State.
What was interesting to note is that despite the warning of the party high command, a large number of party leaders including the chairman of the election campaign committee Pritam Singh and all the MLAs of the Kumaun region (barring former PCC president Karan Mahara) attended the Yatra of Rawat. On Tuesday, Rawat attended a programme at the residence of Kichha MLA Tilak Raj Behed.
Continuing his defiant attitude, Rawat took to the social media to explain reasons for organising the Yatra. He said thousands of people met him during his recent ailment in New Delhi and he is undertaking the Yatra to express his gratitude to the people and challenge BJP which is using the Enforcement Directorate to tarnish his image. In yet another post, Rawat said that he is being questioned on holding a parallel programme but the fact is that the state unit of the party is organising no such programme at present. Experts point out that Rawat is perturbed by the attempt of some leaders of the State unit to induct controversial Khanpur MLA Umesh Kumar into the party’s fold. He is also said to be annoyed at the party’s decision to put on hold his request to include Sanjay Negi of Ramnagar into the party.
