Dehradun: Days after he advocated for a Dalit chief minister in Uttarakhand, Congress general secretary and former CM of the state Harish Rawat said he too would be willing to head the government if the party is voted to power in the 2022 assembly elections.
In an interview to ThePrint Saturday, Rawat said he was not keen to fight the assembly elections as there was a ‘fund crunch’, since those who handled finances for him while he was the CM had left him.
Rawat, who was the Congress’ in-charge for Punjab until October, also justified the removal of Captain Amarinder Singh as the chief minister of that state, alleging that he was working like a “BJP-Akali Dal agent”.
Non-committal on who will be CM
Speaking about the upcoming elections in Uttarakhand, Harish Rawat remained non-committal on who would be the next chief minister if his party was voted to power.
Addressing a public meeting during the Congress’s Parivartan Yatra in Laksar constituency of Haridwar, Rawat had said on 25 October that following the appointment of Charanjit Singh Channi as the first Dalit CM of Punjab, “I want to pray to the almighty to let me witness a Dalit becoming the CM of Uttarakhand in my lifetime”.
Speaking to ThePrint, he said while he was ready to lead the government if the Congress won the 2022 state elections, he stands by his wish for a Dalit CM, in keeping with the Congress’s stand on social justice and equal opportunity to all. “When we talk about social justice, we have to create a parallel leadership as well,” said Rawat.
“I will not hesitate from taking up the responsibility of heading the government if the people of Uttarakhand give the Congress party their mandate, and our central leadership wants it. Two days ago I visited Kedarnath temple and someone asked what submission I made to the deity. Suddenly, I had nothing to say, but my reply was, ‘I wished the lord makes me chief minister again’,” said Rawat with a smile.
He added that choosing a “chief ministerial candidate was not an issue for the Congress, as there are many capable leaders in the party”.
While Rawat said he was not keen to contest next year’s assembly elections, owing to “funds crunch”, he reiterated that if the party leadership wanted him to stand for the elections, he would not be able to refuse.
“Elections need huge funds. Those who had funds (close aides who handled his finance and funds while he was CM) have now left me. How can I manage that department? Although I am not keen to contest these assembly elections, but I also can’t run away if the party leadership wants me to do so,” he said.
The former Uttarakhand CM expressed confidence that the Congress party will make a comeback in governance in the 2022 assembly elections, as he claimed that Uttarakhand voters were disenchanted with the BJP, the Modi-Shah duo and the Pushkar Singh Dhami-led government in the state.
“They (the voters) fell for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Hindutva (narrative) in 2017, thinking both were inseparable. But they have now realised that it was a false notion. Otherwise why has the BJP had to change its CM twice in Uttarakhand?” Rawat said.
In March this year, BJP’s Trivendra Singh Rawat was replaced by Tirath Singh Rawat as Uttarakhand CM. Months later, the latter was replaced by Pushkar Singh Dhami.
Rawat claimed scores of BJP legislators were queuing up to join the Congress in Uttarakhand, but that the party would only take in those who had the potential to win elections. “Around 25-30 BJP MLAs and leaders are raring to switch over to the Congress, but they will be filtered on their winnability. We cannot overlook our own leaders and aspirants, who have worked hard to strengthen the organisation,” he said.
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‘Dhami & his govt, best at illegal mining’
Rawat attacked the BJP and Uttarakhand CM Dhami, claiming their only achievement so far has been illegal river-bed material mining. He also blamed them for their alleged failure to save lives during the natural disaster in Uttarakhand brought on by torrential rainfall in the state this year.
“Illegal (river-bed) mining in the state intensified manifold after Pushkar Singh Dhami took over as chief minister two months ago. This is what the BJP government is best at. At least four bridges collapsed during the Kumaon rain fury, in which several lives were lost, despite Amit Shah claiming that the Centre had alerted the state about the impending disaster hours in advance. One reason for the collapsing of the bridges is that their bases had been weakened by river-bed mining. Today, we have a mining expert CM and his government. Nothing good can be expected from him,” alleged Rawat.
Rawat termed the Dhami government’s alleged failure to manage recent rain-induced floods and landslides, both in the hills and plains of Kumaon, a “criminal offence”.
“Imagine the magnitude of their failure — the government could not rescue people trapped under a bridge hardly 8-10 meters wide for almost one-and-a-half days,” alleged Rawat, referring to a bridge that collapsed in Nainital’s Ramgarh area following heavy rains.
“The chief minister did not even call a meeting to take stock of the state’s preparedness to deal with the disaster. This shows his lack of concern for the well-being of the people. Amit Shah complimented him on his handling of the disaster, but did not announce any relief funds, which was mandatory on his part. It was a criminal offence by the state government.”
Rawat also claimed that the Congress party will make the Dhami government’s disaster management failure an election issue. “We will go to the people and tell them how our government dealt with the 2013 Himalayan Tsunami and the BJP government’s lackadaisical approach in saving the lives of those trapped in the Kumaon rain disaster of 2021,” said the Congress leader.
Rawat took a potshot at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit to Kedarnath on 5 November, calling it a “gimmick”. “People of Uttarakhand know well that the prime minister’s Kedarnath visit is only a popular political move. It has nothing to do with the state,” said Rawat.
The PM’s Kedarnath visit will mark the closure of the shrine for the winter, and the inauguration of a 25-tonne statue of Adi Shankaracharya.
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‘Congress factionalism not a worry’
Responding to a question on how the Congress expected to return to power in the state despite the infighting in the state unit, Rawat said he was not concerned about divisions in the party, as the Congress will stand united when required.
Rawat said that while “it’s true that Congress party leaders have differences, but today, for us, the narrative is not about the Congress, but the state of Uttarakhand and who has the solution for its problems. If Congress has differences, then we also have plenty of capable leaders to head the state. I am not worried about the internal affairs of the party, as every Congress leader will stand united during elections with a common goal to win”.
He claimed several Congress leaders who had left the party ahead of the 2017 assembly elections and joined the BJP with high hopes now wanted to return.
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‘Amarinder a BJP agent, Channi-Sidhu must trek along’
Explaining the rationale behind the “removal” of former Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh so close to next year’s assembly elections in Punjab, Rawat alleged he was not working as a Congress CM, but as a “BJP-Akali Dal” agent.
“Captain was told several times that he should work as Congress chief minister, not as an agent of the BJP and Akali Dal. He was a chief minister who did not visit the state secretariat for four years and tried to mortgage the Congress in Punjab. This has been made clear by recent developments, as he seems very keen to be BJP’s man in Punjab,” alleged Rawat.
“The question is not about timing, but the decision itself, and it was the right step taken by the AICC leadership.”
Rawat also alleged that Amarinder Singh had been trying to finish the Congress cadre from Punjab.
He added that Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu is a popular leader, who could influence the masses. Rawat also expressed confidence that Sidhu, along with new Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, can ensure victory for the Congress in 2022. “However, both have to bury the hatchet and find ways to work together,” added Rawat.
(Edited by Poulomi Banerjee)
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