Don’t include me in collective leadership – Harish Rawat

Former CM continues his social media onslaught on chief ministerial face of Congress party

Continuing with his bold utterances on social media vis-à-vis Uttarakhand Congress, the former chief minister and general secretary of All India Congress Committee (AICC) Harish Rawat has now said that the party should remove his name from the collective leadership. The former CM on Monday had created a storm on Monday by stating that the Congress party should declare its chief ministerial candidate for the assembly elections of 2022. In response to Rawat’s comment, the leader of opposition  (LoP) in Uttarakhand assembly Indira Hridayesh had stated that there is no tradition in the Congress party to declare the CM candidate before the elections. Reacting to it on Tuesday Rawat said that the party had declared the CM candidates in elections of Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Delhi. In his post, Rawat again made it clear that he would stand behind whosoever leader party projects as CM candidate. “Yes it is true that Pritam Singh ji is our General. I would request that the party should make him the CM candidate. I would also welcome Indira Hridayesh ji as the party’s face for CM,’’ said Rawat in his post.

After stating that he would support anyone party projects as CM candidate, the former CM and the Congress stalwart added twist by adding that his name should be removed from the line of collective leadership. He further said, “A person should remain free for some time. I want to go ahead in this direction and want to start an awareness campaign against the tendency to take possession of the politics of the state on the basis of money.’’

Asked to comment on Harish Rawat’s statements, the in charge of Uttarakhand Congress, Devendra Yadav said that the party has made a decision to contest the assembly election of 2022 under collective leadership.

Wednesday, 13 January 2021 | PNS | Dehradun