Uttarakhand crisis: CBI summons Harish Rawat over sting probe

The Congress leader has been asked to appear before the agency on Monday.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday summoned former Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat for questioning in a sting operation case. The Congress leader has been asked to appear before the agency on Monday.

Rawat was caught on tape allegedly offering money to rebel Congress MLAs. He has, however, denied the charges levelled against him.

Alleging that the sting operation and the CBI probe into it were part of a “criminal conspiracy” by the BJP to topple an elected government, he dared Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah to put him in jail if he is found in the wrong.

“If any evidence is found against me, like me offering money or post to anybody, hang me at the Clock Tower,” Mr Rawat, who had so far been insisting that the sting was “fake”, said.

“Why should anyone spend Rs15 crore for me. The man (journalist) was saying something meaningless to while away my time and I said something to while away his. We keep saying things like this on a daily basis.” Mr Rawat said, adding, his fight to “save democracy” will go on, “come what may”.

“Is meeting a journalist a crime If one of the MLAs who had not been technically disqualified by that time talked to me... how does it matter ” Mr Rawat told reporters.

“Do we block any channels in politics,” Mr Rawat told reporters on the sidelines of the programme. Training his guns at the Modi-Shah duo he said they have been “conspiring” to “systematically bring down” governments in states where BJP is not in power. Ever since Modi government came to power, it has been “neglecting” Uttarakhand, he added.