Plunging into the support of the disgruntled MLA from Dharchula, Harish Dhami, former Chief Minister Harish Rawat has said that dedicated workers of the party should be respected. In a facebook post, the former CM replied to his detractors within his party who are pointing finger at him for the fiasco involving Harish Dhami. The two-time MLA was listed on the last position (98th) in the list of secretaries of Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) which infuriated him. In his FB post on Saturday, Harish Rawat accepted that he had suggested the name of Dhami along with dozen others for a place in PCC. He said that he had suggested Dhami’s name for general secretary. Terming Dhami as a strong pillar of Congress party, Rawat said that Dhami is a two time MLA and had once helped him for being elected for State Assembly.
He said that it is good that the top leadership of party has said a lot in appreciation of Dhami but has said that the responsibility lies on the person who had recommended his name. Rawat said that before releasing the list the leaders should have talked with Dhami and other leaders. On a sarcastic note, the former CM said, “I was not invisible. Had I been informed I would have talked with the responsible authority for correcting the error.’’
Dharchula MLA has virtually revolted ever since the new PCC was announced. He was appointed as secretary by the party and his name was on the last position. Terming it as his insult the two time MLA had resigned from the post offered to him.
The PCC president Pritam Singh accepted that the name of Dhami appeared errorenously in the list of secretaries.
Interestingly the episode gave the Harish Rawat camp to open front against Leader of Opposition (LoP) Indira Hridayesh. Dhami has accused the LoP for remaining friendly and non combative with the BJP government. He said that the moment the BJP Government stated that it would hold inquiry on the irregularities on the State Infrastructure and Industrial Development Corporation of Uttarakhand Limited (SIIDCUL) during the Congress reign; Indira Hridayesh adopted a soft stance on the Government. Dharchula MLA claimed that eight out of eleven MLAs were not in favour of making her the LoP but everyone accepted the decision of the party high command. He added that party high command would be requested to replace Indira Hridayesh with someone else.
With Harish Rawat coming out openly in support of his protégé, the internal squabble in the Congress is expected to increase in coming days.