Even as Congress leaders maintain that the party is in a secure position in Uttarakhand, uncertainty continues to loom over the position of party’s turncoat MlAs and other Congress MlAs.
While the Pradesh Congress Committee claims that most of its turncoat MlAs are repenting their action and maintaining communication with the party, there was also talk of some more Congress MlAs considering the option of coming out in support of Sitarganj MlA and former Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna, who is one of the nine turncoat MlAs of the Congress. Meanwhile, as the State Government has to prove its majority in the Vidhan Sabha on March 28, the party workers’ training programme slated to be visited by the Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi in Haridwar on March 27 has been postponed to April .
Among others, the PCC chief Kishore Upadhyay continued his interaction with party office bearers and workers in different parts of the State. Reaching Haldwani from Ramnagar, the PCC chief lambasted the BJP for being responsible for the political instability in the State.
He also exhorted them to publicise the Congress stance on the issue. As part of its protest demonstration, party workers across the State will hold a torch (mashal) rally on March 26, he said.
The PCC chief also accused the BJP-led NDA government at the centre under prime minister Narendra Modi of putting the phone of Chief Minister Harish Rawat and others in Uttarakhand under surveillance. Additionally, with the use of money-power, the BJP is attempting to destabilize the State Government which is one of the reasons for income tax raids being conducted on homes of known Congress supporters, he alleged. Upadhyay also stressed that the State Government is not facing any threat to its term in office.
Meanwhile, amidst talk on the location and stance of the nine turncoat Congress MlAs, the political grapevine was abuzz with varied claims being made regarding MlAs of both the Congress and BJP.
Apart from the political circle, the social media is also seeing active participation of Uttarakhand natives living across the nation and abroad, expressing their views on the condition of the State and its politics.
The social media was also used by supporters of different factions presented various hypothetical scenarios including the possibility of at least two more Congress MlAs joining the turncoats and about half a dozen BJP MlAs maintaining communication with the Congress.