Under pressure from former Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna, a seemingly chastened Chief Minister Harish Rawat is said to have agreed to induct Subodh Uniyal, MlA from Narendranagar Assembly constituency of Tehri district and close to Bahuguna, into his Cabinet shortly.
MlA Subodh Uniyal, who is now busy electioneering in Delhi, could not be contacted. However, his office pleaded ignorance of any such move.
According to sources, with Bahuguna harping on the theme of the MlAs being cold-shouldered by the State Government, Congress president Sonia Gandhi had called Chief Minister Rawat at her residence and categorically instructed the Chief Minister to build bridges with Bahuguna and to address his grievances promptly. If the sources are to be believed, Mrs Gandhi has also instructed him to induct MlAs close to his bête noir into his Cabinet.
Acting on her instruction, Rawat has instructed his officials to ensure that Bahuguna’s principal demand of the Bengali community people, who had been rehabilitated there during the partition, being provided with land ownership rights figures during the Cabinet meeting slated for February 7.
Sources further said that Bahuguna is pressuring for the induction of at least two MlAs — Shailendra Mohan Singhal and Subodh Uniyal — into the Cabinet. However, giving impression that he is still holding his ground despite the high command’s strictures, Rawat has agreed to induct one of them for the present.
Sources said, rattled by the exit of the former Union Minister Jayanthi Natrajan, the party high command has asked the Chief Minister to plunge in fire-fighting to spare it further embarrassment.
State Cabinet Minister Surendra Rakesh, a BSP MlA and a member of Progressive Democratic Front keeping unwell might help the Chief Minister to accommodate one of his own party MlAs to douse the fire for the time being.