It all started when former Uttarakhand Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Harish Rawat made a veiled attack on the Congress leadership, saying "nominees of those whose directions one has to swim (in the electoral battle) are tying my hands and feet".
He also expressed anguish at factionalism in the party's Uttarakhand unit, saying there was "non-cooperation" from the party organisation in the state at most places and that a thought has been crossing his mind that "it is time to rest".
In a series of tweets in Hindi, Rawat said, "Isn't it strange that the organisational structure at most places, instead of extending a helping hand, is standing with its head turned away or playing a negative role at a time when I have to swim across the ocean of elections." "The powers that be have left crocodiles here. People on whose orders I have to swim, their nominees are tying up my hands and feet," he said.
"I am filled with thoughts. A voice from within sometimes tells me it is enough Harish Rawat, you have swam long, it is time to rest," he said.
"I am in a dilemma. The New Year may show me the way," the former chief minister said.
Later, Congress leader Manish Tewari took a dig at Rawat reminding him of his role in apparently unsettling the equation in the party in Assam and Punjab.
"First Assam, then Punjab, now Uttarakhand... Bhog poora hi paun gaye. Kasar na rahe jawe koi,” Tewari tweeted.
Meanwhile, after Rawat's veiled attack on the Congress leadership, former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh took a swipe at him. "You reap what you sow! All the best for your future endeavours (if there are any) @harishrawatcmuk ji," tweeted Singh.
Rawat, meanwhile, commented on Manish Tewari's tweet, saying he must be following "his master's (Amarinder Singh) voice".
"I accept his (former Cong leader Amarinder Singh) best wishes. I think somewhere he is still feeling that quitting Congress was a mistake. And Manish Tewari is just following his master's (Amarinder) voice, as Amarinder Singh is following his master's voice," news agency ANI quoted Rawat as saying.
Hitting back at the former Uttarakhand CM, Manish Tewari tweeted, "For some people, it is always and only about themselves unfortunately whether 2012 or 2021. Their only master is their own personal ambition."
Apparently saying that this wasn't Harish Rawat's first revolt against the Congress, Tewari also shared a news article which said a revolt had erupted in 2012 after he was denied the CM post.
