PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/ Dehradun
The spark of internal dissension in Uttarakhand Congress sparked by the decision of former chief minister Harish Rawat to undertake a 15 day break from the politics is threatening to blow into a major political fireball for the party. The leaders of Rawat camp are now openly airing their anger on what they claim is a consistent insult of their leader. On Thursday, Dharchula MLA Harish Dhami exhorted the supporters of Harish Rawat to submit mass resignations to protect the self-esteem of their leader. Taking exception to a recent comment of chairperson of the election management committee of Uttarakhand Congress, Harak Singh Rawat in which he purportedly demeaned Harish Rawat, Dhami said on social media that Harak Singh Rawat is the person who was involved in the sin of defection in Congress party in 2016 after which the party faced problems. “ The party high command should take note of the fact that the one who had betrayed the party once can betray again,’’ Dhami wrote on social media. Apart from Dhami who is a four-time MLA of the party, former speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal and senior leader Dhirendra Pratap have also expressed solidarity with Rawat. Kunjwal stated on Wednesday that the party high command should intervene in the issue. He said that it is hard to imagine the Congress party in Uttarakhand without Harish Rawat.
Meanwhile, Sanjay Negi met Harish Rawat at his residence on Thursday and requested him to come out of his political break. It is worth mentioning here that Rawat got annoyed when his request to include Negi into the party’s fold was not accepted by the party leadership. Rawat wanted that Negi’s name should also figure in the list of leaders who joined the Congress party in New Delhi recently. The entry of Negi into the party was purportedly stalled by former AICC secretary Prakash Joshi and former MLA Ranjit Rawat. Interestingly both Joshi and Ranjit Rawat are planning to contest from Ramnagar in the assembly elections of 2027.
