Terming the Congress leader Satpal Maharaj’s new inning with the Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday as unfortunate “at a time when the State was reeling under severe natural calamity”, Chief Minister Harish Rawat blamed on Saturday the saffron party for the whole episode.
Rawat also said that his party would give a befitting reply to the BJP in a few days, even though he did not specify what the reply would be. However, Rawat claimed that his Government was enjoying full support of Congress MlAs and seven MlAs of the Progressive Democratic Front (PDF) as well. He added that at a time when the State was striving hard to revive its economy and infrastructure because of the natural disaster last year, the BJP was creating a political instability in the Himalayan State and further said that the BJP could go to any extent to vitiate political atmosphere of the State.
Rawat also reiterated that his Government was dedicated to rehabilitate the disaster-affected people and resume Char Dham Yatra as per schedule. He said the State was recovering very fast from those natural disasters. Rawat further claimed former MP Maharaj was away at disaster-affected areas as he was not interested in contesting election from Garhwal constituency. “We were busy in requesting him to review their decision,” the Chief Minister said.
Commenting on Maharaj’s statement, who made comparison himself with lord Krishna, Rawat said that lord Krishna lifted dirty dishes (jootha plate) of saints but Maharaj gone there to lift the dirty dishes (jootha plate) of communal forces. Rawat said that earlier he (Maharaj) used to say that Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi were philosophical stone (paras) of the party.
The Chief Minister also acknowledged that he had committed ‘few mistakes’ in distribution of portfolios among his Cabinet Ministers. Disclosing more about his ministerial allocation Rawat said he had assured to Maharaj that he would re-allocate Horticulture department to Cabinet Minister Amrita Rawat, wife of Satpal Maharaj, but he deserted the Congress before correction took place. He also accepted that in politics difference of opinion was common but Maharaj decision was out of his imagination.
later, the Chief Minister said the party was already in process of finalising the candidates for five lok Sabha seats of Uttarakhand and added the party would disclose the list as per schedule i.e., March 24. Explaining of holding all portfolios for more than one month, Rawat said that it was time-demand so he kept all the departments to streamline the reconstruction works in disaster affected areas.