Facing the heat from Chief Minister Harish Rawat for the abrupt stoppage of the search operation for the bodies of those who perished in June 2013 deluge in a few days after the calamity struck the State, the former CM Vijay Bahuguna said that he had no role to play in the matter.
“It is unfortunate that the CM is blaming me for the search operation having stopped midway. This smacks of politics of vulgar vilification. As a matter of fact, I had no role to play. The search and rescue operation was conducted by Army, IAF and NDRF in conjunction with the state police team. Everybody appreciated then the operation carried out by the forces. Now I am being subjected to what can be called witch hunt for a thing I had no role over,” he said a few hours after the CM blamed him without naming him for the premature conclusion of the operation, resulting in more and more skeletal remains being recovered from the trekking routes leading to the fabled Kedarnath shrine.
“I was the person who resumed the Char Dham Yatra despite the havoc the deluge wreaked. On assuming charge as the CM in February 2014, he should have initiated a fresh search operation to retrieve the bodies still scattered along the treks. He did nothing. Now, to cover his failure, he is targeting me and those who were in my cabinet. This is very unfortunate,” Bahuguna said.
Tearing into the CM, the former CM said that despite being a Union minister during the time that calamity befell the state, Harish Rawat had not cared to discuss the deluge with the Prime Minister. “Neither did he call on me. He should have given me some suggestions as to how to have all the bodies retrieved. He did nothing. And now he is putting me on trial to malign me,” the former CM said.