Rawat defies warning by Congress brass, carries on Uttarakhand yatra

Months before the Uttarakhand Assembly election, the Congress is facing a fresh test of discipline in the hill State, with former Chief Minister Harish Rawat deciding to continue his ‘Dhanyawad evam Jansamvad Yatra’ despite a clear warning from the party brass.

On Monday, Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal said it had been made clear that individual campaigns “would not be tolerated”. “It was made clear that our campaigns will be taken forward jointly along with all Uttarakhand leaders, solely under the Congress banner under Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi’s leadership, with the singular aim of ensuring the party’s victory,” said Mr. Venugopal

Hours later, Mr. Rawat wrote in an X post in Hindi that his yatra is “heading towards Haldwani, with hundreds of vehicles moving alongside me”. Earlier in the day, striking a defiant note, the 78-year-old leader wrote ahead of the Jaspur-Haldwani leg of his yatra that there would be “no looking back”.

Congress general secretary and Uttarakhand in-charge Kumari Selja on October 1 wrote to Mr. Rawat, stating he must stop the yatra, which had not been discussed with her or with the State party president, Ganesh Godiyal.

‘Strengthening party’

Mr. Rawat’s supporters argue that his campaign is aimed at strengthening the party ahead of the poll.

The State leadership and the party brass, however, are concerned about the political message of Mr. Rawat’s outreach as the Congress seeks to improve on its recent electoral performance. The Bharatiya Janata Party won 47 of the State’s 70 seats in 2022 while the Opposition party won 19.

The former CM is facing probes by Central investigating agencies.