by DEHRADUN: Stirring the hornet’s nest and jolting the party campaign in poll-bound Uttarakhand, Congress veteran and campaign head Harish Rawat on Wednesday alleged that he was facing adversarial action from the appointees of the party leadership, and indicated that he was mulling quitting with the New Year as the timeline.
Rawat’s comment in the form of tweets triggered unease in the party as its campaign in the hill state has been proceeding smoothly and gaining traction, with Rahul Gandhi holding a massive rally in Dehradun on December 16. Taking all by surprise, Rawat tweeted in Hindi, “The ruling party has left several crocodiles in the sea through which we have to swim across. Those close to the ones ordering me to swim are themselves restricting me in the effort. At times, I think enough is enough, and now I should rest, but a voice within propels me to go further. Hope the New Year shows a new way. I hope that Lord Kedarnath shows me the right direction.”
The reference — “those close to the ones ordering me to swim in the crocodile-infested waters” — appeared to allude to the AICC managers. A spokesperson for Rawat, Surendra Kumar, confirmed that all was not well between Rawat and Congress state in-charge Devendra Yadav. “The role of a party in-charge is to guide. Party leaders need to motivate members rather than pulling others down.”
An aide said the organisation of Rahul’s rally and some of the actions by the organisers had “disturbed” him. There is also anxiety about the selection of candidates and side-lining of Rawat’s choices at the behest of his rivals within. The Rawat group has also been pushing for him to be declared the CM face ahead of the polls.
Asked about the controversy, state Congress president Ganesh Godiyal said, “There is need to rectify some flaws in the organisation, which have been brought to the attention of the high command and the leadership is considering them. Something satisfactory will emerge in near future.”
Known for his proximity to the Congress leadership and Rahul Gandhi, Rawat’s actions caught many off-guard and brought in the open the factionalism within.
Rawat’s comment in the form of tweets triggered unease in the party as its campaign in the hill state has been proceeding smoothly and gaining traction, with Rahul Gandhi holding a massive rally in Dehradun on December 16. Taking all by surprise, Rawat tweeted in Hindi, “The ruling party has left several crocodiles in the sea through which we have to swim across. Those close to the ones ordering me to swim are themselves restricting me in the effort. At times, I think enough is enough, and now I should rest, but a voice within propels me to go further. Hope the New Year shows a new way. I hope that Lord Kedarnath shows me the right direction.”
The reference — “those close to the ones ordering me to swim in the crocodile-infested waters” — appeared to allude to the AICC managers. A spokesperson for Rawat, Surendra Kumar, confirmed that all was not well between Rawat and Congress state in-charge Devendra Yadav. “The role of a party in-charge is to guide. Party leaders need to motivate members rather than pulling others down.”
An aide said the organisation of Rahul’s rally and some of the actions by the organisers had “disturbed” him. There is also anxiety about the selection of candidates and side-lining of Rawat’s choices at the behest of his rivals within. The Rawat group has also been pushing for him to be declared the CM face ahead of the polls.
Asked about the controversy, state Congress president Ganesh Godiyal said, “There is need to rectify some flaws in the organisation, which have been brought to the attention of the high command and the leadership is considering them. Something satisfactory will emerge in near future.”
Known for his proximity to the Congress leadership and Rahul Gandhi, Rawat’s actions caught many off-guard and brought in the open the factionalism within.
