Cryptic social media posts by former Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat on Wednesday have become fodder for the BJP and critics of the Congress.
Harish Rawat's posts hinted he faced non-cooperation from the party and wondered whether it was time for him “to rest”, giving rise to speculation he could retire, just months ahead of the assembly polls.
Former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh was quick to take a jibe at Harish Rawat. Amarinder tweeted, “You reap what you sow! All the best for your future endeavours (if there are any).”
Harish Rawat had been the Congress in-charge of Punjab when Amarinder, as chief minister, was feuding with Navjot Singh Sidhu. It was on Harish Rawat's watch that Sidhu was appointed Punjab Congress chief and Amarinder was forced to resign. In his resignation letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Amarinder had slammed Harish Rawat and dubbed him as the “most dubious individual”.
Former Uttarakhand chief minister Tirath Singh Rawat of the BJP painted Harish Rawat's tweets as a sign of the woes in the Congress.
Tirath Singh Rawat told Republic TV, “Congress leadership should now think of all this. Congress is a sinking ship. They can't manage their own party. BJP will form the next government in Uttarakhand as Congress cannot give the leadership in the state. In coming days, the voters will sideline them. Their top brass should think of this internal conflict.”
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However, Tirath Singh Rawat also took aim at Harish Rawat, saying the Congress leader was bargaining for political relevance and referred to the tweets as “political pressure”.
“Harish Rawat is not going to take any rest. I think he is doing this to ensure his clout in the party. He will not turn his back on elections because elections are a priority for him... He is known for doing pressure politics. No one knows what he says and does. People are aware of his past,” Tirath Singh Rawat told NDTV.
Tirath Singh Rawat told NDTV, “Congress has always been scattered. Those who have so many splits in their family, so much infighting among themselves, how will they go outside and fight the elections? I don't think it will be easy for Congress to fight the elections like this. Certainly it would benefit the Bharatiya Janata Party.”
