Putting its governance agenda behind, the focus of the Congress led State Government now seems to be on how to make the upcoming rally of Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi in Dehradun on February 22, ‘successful’, by outnumbering the public rally of BJP PM candidate Narendra Modi, held in December in State capital.
This rally will not only come as a testimony to Chief Minister Harish Rawat’s popularity within the State party unit and among the voters, but also set stage for the Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress to move ahead for the crucial electoral battle of 2014 lok Sabha elections.
Among many other factors like the previous Vijay Bahuguna led State Government’s failure to heal the wounds of the natural disaster hit victims as quickly as expected, Chief Minister Harish Rawat’s promise to win at least three lS seats in Uttarakhand including Haridwar, Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar and Almora-Pithorgarh parliamentary constituencies earned him State Chief Minister’s chair.
So, Chief Minister Rawat and his supporters and those who are front runners for the party tickets for the lok Sabha polls will not leave any stone unturned to make this rally a big show. According to the party insiders, among other matters, to see the progress of the State Government on disaster management and to judge the mood of the electorate will remain on top of Rahul Gandhi’s visit.
In these circumstances, it is definitely going to be tough for Harish Rawat to prove his mettle both on Government and political fronts.
However, delay in allocation of portfolios among the council of ministers has already put Chief Minister Rawat on the back foot. Now along with the Opposition party members, the minister and ruling party leaders have also started raising question over delay in assigning works among the Ministers.
In such case, it is also to be seen how the party which has already turned out to be a headless organisation with state party chief Yashpal Arya already tendering his resignation to the party's central leadership, is going to put a united face, the Congress Party insiders here believe.
It may be recalled that the upcoming Rahul Gandhi's rally in Uttarakhand is a long over dew. Despite party activists demand for holding such a big rally here, the party high command could not give a date because of certain other developments like assembly polls in some other states in last year end, said the party leaders here.
However, in its political repositioning exercise that has been going on for long here, the State Government seems to have ignored at least to address the basic concerns of its citizens.
Deteriorating condition of basic services like home delivery of domestic cooking gas remains disrupted in different parts of the Kumaon division and elsewhere for over a month. But the Congress led State Government seems to be little worried about it, alleged, the agitating domestic cooking gas consumers.