Making things clear about the fractured state of the Congress party in the State on the day of Makar Sankranti, celebrated for the advent of Uttarayana, the Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president, Kishore Upadhyay, left the PCC office in a huff on Friday just before the time the former Chief Minister, Vijay Bahuguna, was about to step in.
The State Congress chief preponed his press conference. But showing discretion of shying away from meeting Bahuguna with whom he seems to be at loggerheads, he left the scene as though he was in a tearing hurry. Things might have proved embarrassing for him had he decided to stay back and witness Bahuguna being felicitated by the PCC as part of the party's Makar Sankranti celebration, said an observer.
PCC vice-president Jot Singh Bisht was instrumental in conceiving the felicitation programme for Bahuguna. Mention-worthy, Chief Minister Harish Rawat was also conspicuous by his absence at the felicitation programme. He has remained down with viral fever, party brass said.
The development has not come as a surprise to the State Congress watchers as the animosity between the two leaders dates back to the time when Upadhyaya lost Assembly election 2012 to Independent candidate Dinesh Dhanai.
left nursing his wounds, he had alleged that he had got the drubbing thanks to the sitting MP Bahuguna stabbing him in the back by clandestinely throwing his weight behind his rival. Nurturing the malice, he remained un-reconciled to Bahuguna becoming the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand.
Observers say he kept on biding his time to take his sweet revenge and the chance came his way as Bahuguna's son Saket decided to contest the lok Sabha by-poll from Tehri constituency. The seat was vacated by Vijay Bahuguna after he became the CM. But as ill luck would have it, his son was humbled at the hustings, dealing a body blow to the reputation of the then CM. His detractors started baying for his blood, crying that his remaining at the helm of the Government would spell disaster for the party in the coming days. The logic was clear-if he could not have his own seat retained through his son he would be instrumental for an imminent debacle for the party in the upcoming electoral battles.
The downward curve of his career climaxed in his getting removed from the chair of the Chief Minister he was holding in February 2014. Harish Rawat was ushered in to stem the tide of mounting dissidence against Bahuguna gnawing at the party from within.