Cabinet minister Amrita Rawat has been removed from the State cabinet by the Governor Dr Aziz Qureshi on the recommendation of Chief Minister Harish Rawat.
Independent MlA from Tehri and coalition partner Progressive Democratic Front member Dinesh Dhanai was administered the oath of office and secrecy as a cabinet minister at the Raj Bhawan by the Governor on Monday afternoon. Reacting strongly to her removal from the cabinet, Amrita Rawat said that instead of removing her from the cabinet it is the Chief Minister who should be resigning from his post taking responsibility for the rout suffered by the Congress in Uttarakhand in the parliamentary polls.
Amrita Rawat's ouster from the cabinet is being seen as a strong message being sent by the CM to cabinet ministers and MlAs discouraging them from indulging in factionalism after the party's defeat in all the five parliamentary constituencies in the recently concluded lok Sabha election. By inducting PDF member Dhanai into the cabinet, the CM is also seen to be attempting to ensure the continued support of the Congress' coalition partner in Uttarakhand. Amrita Rawat's position in the party was weakened after her two sons spoke in favour of the BJP after voting in the parliamentary polls. Her husband and former Garhwal MP Satpal Maharaj had left the Congress and joined the BJP before polling and since then has been attacking the Congress-led State Government on various issues. After the Congress candidate from Garhwal and cabinet minister Harak Singh Rawat blamed Maharaj for his defeat in the parliamentary polls, he questioned the validity of her remaining in the cabinet stating that her husband and sons were working against the Congress.
Earlier, the chief secretary Subhash Kumar said that as a member of the State cabinet, Amrita Rawat used to hold the portfolios of Tourism, Culture, Pilgrimage Management and Religious Fairs, Women Empowerment and Child Development, Alternative Energy, Externally Funded Projects and Youth Welfare department. In addition to her removal from the cabinet on the Chief Minister's recommendation the Governor had further ordered that the departments handled by Amrita Rawat so far will be handled by the Chief Minister, as additional charges till further orders.
Reacting to her ouster from the State cabinet, Amrita Rawat said that the Chief Minister was taking decisions that would prove detrimental to him and the party. She said that the Uttarakhand CM should resign taking moral responsibility for the "record-breaking defeat" suffered by the Congress on all five parliamentary seats in the State. She said that Harish Rawat had urged the Congress president Sonia Gandhi to remove the then CM Vijay Bahuguna from office and make him (Harish Rawat) the CM. He had also promised the party high command that he would ensure the party's victory from at least three parliamentary constituencies, but this was not achieved, so Rawat should resign from the post of the CM, said Amrita Rawat.