Ready to apologise to Congress’s Harish Rawat: Harak Singh Rawat
Uttarakhand elections: Harak Singh Rawat, who was expelled from the BJP on January 16, said on Tuesday that he is ready to apologise to Congress leader Harish Rawat.
Harak Singh Rawat, who was expelled from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on January 16, said on Tuesday that he is ready to apologise to former Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat, the chief election strategist of the Congress party for the assembly polls to be held on February 14.
“He (Harish Rawat) is my elder brother. I can apologise 100 times, or even one lakh times for Uttarakhand, its youth, its development,” Harak Singh said at a media briefing on a visit to New Delhi, indicating his willingness to rejoin the Congress, which he left in 2016.
Harak Singh was responding to Harish Rawat’s statements about him. “I stand by what have I said. Not just him but all those who were involved (in the 2016 rebellion ) should seek apology from the people of Uttarakhand and democracy,” Harish Rawat said earlier.
Harak Singh Rawat was one of the nine Congress lawmakers who rebelled against the Congress government headed by Harish Singh Rawat in March 2016, reducing it to a minority. The Centre imposed President’s rule in the state, although Harish Singh Rawat returned as CM after winning a trust vote in May. Harak Singh Rawat defected to the BJP and was elected on its ticket in 2017. He was expelled by the BJP earlier this month.
The decision to induct Harak Singh Rawat into the Congress will have to be a collective decision of the party, Harish Rawat said on Tuesday.
Harak Singh was expelled from the BJP for six years on Sunday and has since indicated that he wants to join the Congress ahead of the state elections.
Some Congress leaders in Uttarakhand, especially those close to Harish Rawat, are not happy with re-inducting someone involved in the 2016 mutiny into the party.
“What happened in 2016 weakened the democratic tradition in the whole country. It was a murder of democracy,” said Pradeep Tamta, Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member.
The Congress high command, however, may be keen on using Harak Singh Rawat to fight the incumbent BJP in some seats where he has influence.
Given his track record, Harak Singh Rawat has created a difficult situation for himself, said MM Semwal, professor of political science at Garhwal Central University.
“If the Congress takes him back, it will send a wrong signal in the party,” Semwal said. “But the Congress high command must be looking at the broader picture and may want to use him for hitting at the BJP, at least in some seats where he holds strong influence.”
