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Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat has been summoned to Delhi by Congress general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal amid concerns within the party over his recent political activities and individual yatra in Uttarakhand, ahead of the state Assembly elections.
The summons comes days after Uttarakhand Congress in-charge Kumari Selja expressed strong displeasure over Rawat's yatra and wrote to him on October 1, asking him not to proceed with such programmes. In her letter, Selja said, "It has come to our attention that you are undertaking a yatra in the state. Neither has this matter been discussed with the undersigned, nor with the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president." Selja also referred to media reports that Rawat had recently made some controversial statements. She further pointed out that elections are due in the state in the coming months and said the Congress needs to present a united front. "You will also appreciate that at this juncture, any such parallel programme would not be in the interest of the party," Selja said in the letter. She therefore requested Rawat not to proceed with the programmes. The Congress leadership has now summoned Rawat to Delhi for a meeting with KC Venugopal. The meeting is expected to focus on party unity and coordinating Rawat's political activities with the Congress's organisational framework and electoral strategy in Uttarakhand. Rawat has recently stepped up his political outreach in Uttarakhand and undertaken individual yatras, which have drawn the attention of the state and central Congress leadership ahead of the Assembly elections. The leadership is learnt to be concerned that such independent programmes could undermine coordinated party preparations. (ANI)
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