Ex-CM claims he’s threatened, phones being tapped
Ex-CM claims he’s threatened, phones being tapped
Both the Congress and the BJP hurled allegations and counter-allegations at each other after a new purported sting video on Sunday claimed former Uttarakhand CM Harish Rawat had offered money earned from mining to Congress MLAs to keep his flock together. Uttarakhand, now under President’s Rule, is due to hold a trust vote in the state Assembly on Tuesday. Also, the Uttarakhand high court had last week reserved its verdict on the nine disqualified rebel Congress MLAs till Monday.
After the sting, the political slugfest escalated with Mr Rawat accusing the Centre and the BJP of indulging in the “politics of blackmail” and of creating “unrest” in the hill state. He also alleged that the Congress MLAs were being threatened and their phones were being tapped by Central agencies. The Congress took on BJP general secretary Kailsah Vijayvargiya, claiming he had been tasked by the BJP leadership with ensuring that Mr Rawat lost the vote on the floor of the Assembly.
Mr Rawat, incidentally, had been summoned to the CBI headquarters in New Delhi on Monday for questioning over the earlier sting video.
The purported sting video shows a conversation between rebel Congress MLA Harak Singh Rawat and Congress legislator Madan Singh Bisht. Released by a private TV news channel in New Delhi, it shows Mr Bisht saying in the video that Mr Rawat was giving money he had earned from mining to his MLAs to keep his flock together.
Former chief minister and senior BJP leader Bhagat Singh Koshyari alleged the video showed that Mr Rawat was “himself involved in horse-trading”. He said: “Earlier also there was a sting and now a new sting video has come out in which the MLA is himself saying the chief minister is giving '25-30 lakhs to his own MLAs to placate them.”
Hitting back, the Congress alleged the BJP was hatching a conspiracy against Mr Rawat ahead of the trust vote. The party also wrote to governor K.K. Paul, demanding BJP leader and Uttarakhand in-charge Kailash Vijayvargiya be kept away from the state till the trust vote on Tuesday as he was “trying to vitiate the political atmosphere”.
“I charge the Central government and the BJP that they are trying to create this politics of siege and unrest in this state. I have decided that after May 10th result, all these blackmailers who are blatantly trying to trap people by offering financial and other allurements, who are trying to blackmail people, we will launch a fight against them under the leadership of Kishor Upadhyaya,” Mr Rawat said in Dehradun.
He alleged that his phones and those of his relatives and aides were being tapped. “Central agencies are harassing Congress people through various ways... Central agencies are openly being misused and not only my MLAs but political leaders are being threatened.. Our MLAs and leaders are getting threatening messages from conduits who are posing as relatives, well-wishers, acquaintances,” said Mr Rawat, adding: “I am also being kept under surveillance as if I am an anti-national.”
Mr Rawat had faced allegations of horse-trading earlier after a purported sting video allegedly showed him negotiating to bring back rebel legislators.
The Supreme Court had on Friday ordered a floor test in the Uttarakhand Assembly on May 10, when Mr Rawat will seek a vote of confidence.
Alleging that the BJP may conspire to deny Mr Rawat an opportunity to seek a trust vote in the House, Uttarakhand Congress chief Kishor Upadhyaya said: “I fear the BJP may hatch a conspiracy to deny Rawat this opportunity. I have come to know that the responsibility for this has been given to BJP leader from Madhya Pradesh Kailash Vjayvargiya, who is an expert in such tactics.” The Congress leader said he has written to the governor in this regard.
“In the letter to the governor I have said that for the last three-four months, Vaijayvargiya has vitiated the political atmosphere in Uttarakhand. To safeguard the state’s prestige and to save democracy, he should be stopped from taking part in political activities till May 10,” he said.
Taking potshots at BJP, the Congress leader said he had also written to Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan that “only his state should benefit from Vijayvargiya’s expertise”.
“I have requested him to call back the honourable MLA to his state or else he will booked here for his corrupt activities,” he said. The developments in Uttrakhand, he said, were a matter of worry not only for the state but the entire country.
“Forces which are inimical to the state’s interests have put a blot on its image and left deep wounds. The BJP is guilty of trying to establish its government not through democratic means but by using money and muscle power,” he added.
