Former Cabinet Minister Harak Singh Rawat, one of the nine Congress MlAs who turned rebels and later switched to BJP, has been booked under rape charges by Delhi Police on Saturday. Though after the case was registered the Opposition dubbed it as a politically-motivated move engineered at the behest of the State Government to denigrate the recently-inducted BJP leader ahead of elections, observers say that the argument does not seem to carry weight in view of the Delhi Police lodging the case. Udham Singh Nagar MP from the BJP and former Chief Minister Bhagat Singh Koshyari slammed the Chief Minister for having conspired to have the case revived. Political analysts say that things are win–win for Harish Rawat as the his detractor has been pinned down in the rape case lodged by the Delhi Police which works under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Notably, Harak Singh Rawat is strongly inclined to jump under the limelight either for good or wrong reasons. For instance, during the ND Tiwari regime, he, a Minister, had got embroiled in what is known as Jainy scandal following which he had quit the Ministry on moral grounds. However, later, he had got a clean chit from CBI on completion of the latter’s inquiry.
Again, when the BJP was in power in between 2007 and 2012, he had hogged media glare when he was made the leader of Opposition. Angered over being slighted, lt Gen TPS Rawat had left the Congress and switched to BJP. Harak Singh Rawat had, however, made his mark as the loP. He had endeared himself to the BJP detractors when he had compared in the House the then CM Maj Gen Bhuwan Chandra Khanduri to Gen Dyer of Jalianwalwabagh notoriety. Controversies dogged Harak Sigh Rawat steadily as his name had resurfaced in Vikasnagar land scam. However, the state government had absolved him of the charge of his involvement following an inquiry.
After the Assembly election-2012 was held he had made it clear that he would not opt for any ministerial post except that of the Chief Minister. However, the party high command thought otherwise and saddled Vijay Bahuguna as the CM of Uttarakhand on March 13, 2012. Grumling Harak Singh Rawat was sworn in as a cabinet minister. Thereafter, he got implicated in a case involving an unmarried woman. But again he managed to come out of it unscathed. Things continued as his name had appeared in a rape case later. However, sources said that he had managed to thrash a deal with the supposed survivor to get respite from the case.
All the CMs starting from ND Tiwari down to Harish Rawat used to be wary of him as he was inclined to raise storm when angry. It is a fact, according to the observers, that he was the person who engineered other eight Congress MlAs to raise the banner of revolt against Harish Rawat when the latter’s government was set to pass the crucial appropriation bill in the House.
The political turmoil on, he had released a sting CD, purportedly showing CM Harish Rawat offering a deal to a middlemen supposedly representing the nine rebel MlAs to buy back the rebel lawmakers. The release led to the Presidential proclamation imposing President’s Rule on the state. The maverick, controversy-kissing leader had created ripples in the state’s political circles a few days ahead of the Supreme Court dictated floor test as he had another CD released that purportedly showed MlA Madan Singh Bist telling Harak Singh Rawat conversationally that the CM had paid each of the Congress MlAs handsomely to vote in favour of the confidence motion.
After the embattled Harish Rawat weathered the storm and got back to the saddle of power his government passed the Benami (anonymous) property bill-2016 principally to pin Harak Singh Rawat down. The bill has been pending before Rajbhawan. Once the Governor gives assent the enforcement agency is likely to pounce upon Harak Singh Rawat as regards the Vikasnagar anonymous land scam.
