Dehradun/New Delhi : Days before former Congress Chief Minister Harish Rawat demonstrates is strength in the Uttarakhand assembly, a video has surfaced of a purported ‘sting’ operation that has thrown up fresh allegations of the Congress state leadership trying to ‘buy legislators’.
The conversation in the video is between Madan Bisht — who is considered close to the chief minister — and rebel lawmaker Harak Singh Rawat. Bisht is allegedly heard saying in the video that Rawat is ready to pay to keep his flock together.
The BJP lost no time in holding a press conference and party leader Bhagat Singh Koshyari alleged that the video showed that Rawat was “also involved in horse-trading”. “Earlier also there was a sting and now also a video has surfaced in which the MLA is heard saying that the Chief Minister is giving Rs 25-30 lakh to the fence-sitters.”
The Congress hit back, alleging that the BJP had hatched a conspiracy against Rawat ahead of the trust vote. The party also wrote to Governor K K Paul, demanding that BJP leader and Uttarkhand in-charge Kailash Vijayvargiya be kept away from the state till the trust vote takes place, as he was “trying to vitiate the political atmosphere.”
As the political fight escalated, Rawat accused the NDA government and the BJP of indulging in “politics of blackmail” and 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.
“Our MLAs and leaders are getting threatening messages from conduits who are posing as relatives, well-wishers and acquaintances,” Rawat told reporters in Dehradun. “I am also being kept under surveillance as if I am an anti-national,” he alleged. He further asserted: “I’ve decided that after result of May 10, we’ll wage a war against blackmailers.”
Rawat had faced allegations of horse-trading earlier, too, after a purported sting video allegedly showed him negotiating to bring the rebel legislators back to his flock. Incidentally, both the ‘stings’ were aired by the same TV channel. The CBI has summoned Rawat in connection with the first sting operation.
The video’s release has been timed a day before the Lok Sabha takes up the Uttarakhand budget. The Centre had argued that the Rawat government could not carry through the finance bill, a reason it had cited for the imposition of President’s Rule in the state hill state. The apex court has suspended President’s Rule for 2 hours on Tuesday for the trust vote. It has also disqualified the nine rebel Congress legislators who were earlier disqualified by the Speaker. In the reduced assembly – 62 down from 71 — Rawat needs the support of 32 lawmakers to prove his majority.
The sting released by a private TV channel claims that Chief Minister Harish Rawat gave Rs 25 lakh each to 12 MLAs. The video allegedly shows Congress MLA Madan Singh Bisht, a close aide of Rawat, talking with a rebel Congressman. This is the same channel which had
released the earlier sting on Rawat.
