A political drama built up in Uttarakhand as the Harish Rawat-led Congress government was challenged in the floor of the State Assembly on March 18. Nine Congress MLAs rebelled against their own government and voted against the Appropriation Bill in the floor of the Uttarakhand Assembly.
While the Speaker showed the Bill as “passed”, the Opposition party BJP and the nine Congress rebels claimed that the Bill was passed “unconstitutionally" by the Speaker even though majority in the Assembly had voted against the Bill. The drama, while it is still unfolding, has toppled the Rawat government and has put the Hill State under President’s Rule. While the strategies of the Congress and the BJP remain partially veiled, Mr Rawat has reached the courts and is now reaching out to the public through foot marches and public speeches seeking justice against, what he calls, the BJP’s “game-plan” against the Congress in Uttarakhand.
Harish Rawat , in an interview with Kavita Upadhyay, mentions that the BJP, along with the Congress rebels, conspired against his government to dislodge a strong face in Uttarakhand politics and to pave way for the BJP in the next elections.
Excerpts from the interview:
Is the current political situation Harish Rawat versus BJP’s central leadership?
The BJP leaders feel that as long as Harish Rawat is there, they will not get a chance of imposing their agenda in Uttarakhand.
In the year 2002 too Congress’ return at the centre began from Uttarakhand. It was Uttarakhand that gave a lead to the Congress in the year 2002. Now too, if the Congress regains its hold at the centre it would be by winning the Uttarakhand polls in the year 2017.
You have accused the BJP’S central leadership of “attacking” a small State like Uttarakhand and “punishing” it by putting it under President’s Rule. Why would the BJP “attack” a small State?
The BJP felt that in the year 2017 Uttarakhand was going to vote for the Congress. The BJP understood that and so, by hook or by crook, the party wanted to remove the Congress rule from the State.
Uttarakhand is a small State, but it is Dev Bhoomi [abode of Gods], char dhams are here, Haridwar is here, the Ganga is here. We talk about the issues around Ganga and water better than them [the BJP].
Are you ready to go for polls?
I am not at fault. I was serving the people. The BJP is projecting me in bad light. If I was unpopular among the people of my State then the BJP need not have used turncoats to dislodge me. The right way is to go to the people. Instead of trying to form a government in such a sinful way, the BJP should directly go to the people of the State.
What is your strategy now going to be?
We will follow the orders of the court. The question before me is not about forming a government. We had to establish that the presidential proclamation was wrong and that we should have been given a chance to prove our majority in the State Assembly.
It has always been so that the central leaderships of the Congress and the BJP choose their chief ministerial candidate for Uttarakhand instead of the chief minister being chosen by the elected MLAs. Is that the reason that most chief ministers are unable to complete a full term in the State?
This is not the case. It happens everywhere. The coming elections, whether in 2016 or 2017, will settle all these questions. Uttarakhand will vote for stability and justice.
Why were you unable to keep your MLAs intact?
Money has played a big role in all this drama. Some of our MLAs said openly on TV channels that they were offered money but they refused it. The MLAs who stood against the Congress were the privileged MLAs whose ambitions were very high. I am fully convinced that money has played a big role here and it is clear that the BJP purchased the rebel MLAs.
How were you unaware of such a big crack?
We were aware of the situation and we were aware of the BJP’s plan. We tried our best to control it.
