Harish Rawat Exclusive Interview: Ex-Uttarakhand CM Says Wayanad By-Election Will Be 'Historic'

Harish Rawat lashed out at the BJP, blaming them for halting student elections in the state, and diverting people ahead of the Wayanad, Kedarnath by-elections.

Dehradun:Slamming Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), former Chief Minister and Congress leader Harish Rawat, while hosting a traditional Uttarakhandi feast at his residence in the Defence Colony on Friday said that the saffron party has worked to end the democratic process in the state.

Rawat organised a Diwali Milan Samaroh programme where he served local dishes such as Chutkani, Bhattwani, Thinchoni of Radish, Rice, and Raita of Pahadi Cucumber. , Speaking to ETV Bharat, he said that by not conducting student union elections in the state, the BJP government has worked to systematically end the democratic framework of the hilly region.

"When a government announces the date of elections, it is its responsibility to conduct them across universities and colleges. Not a single university or college has conducted elections yet. Is this a kind of conspiracy?" he asked.

He fasted for an hour, protesting against BJP's alleged attempt to exploit workers by not regularising the services of the Upanal and Guest teachers after 7 and 10 years of service.

Commenting on the Wayanad by-election, Rawat said that it would be historic. "The BJP is worried because they are already aware of their poor poll performance. A few days ago they tried to strike a controversy regarding Priyanka Gandhi's asset declaration because the party wants to divert the attention of the people ahead of the polls," he claimed.

A major controversy had erupted over Priyanka Gandhi's asset declaration as the Congress candidate for Wayanad. When filing her nomination, Gandhi disclosed that she and her husband, Robert Vadra, possess combined movable and immovable assets worth ₹77.55 crore.

Gandhi’s net worth stands at ₹12 crore, while Vadra’s assets amount to ₹66 crore. However, her poll affidavit showed that the couple possessed a whopping ₹80 crore in pending tax dues—an amount that surpasses their combined assets. Vadra had dismissed these allegations, claiming the BJP is trying to divert attention from real issues.

Questioning the authenticity of the claim, Rawat mockingly said it is strange that despite being in power for 10 years, the BJP has failed in nabbing or taking action against Vadra.

"BJP always comes with the same tactic ahead of the polls. They will pick up this same blame game of asset declaration and harass opposition leaders to mess with their mental peace ahead of elections," he said.

Speaking about the Uttarkashi mosque dispute, Rawat lashed out at the BJP and blamed the party for the ongoing violence in the region. "There is a complete disregard for law and constitution in Uttarkashi. Who else should take the blame barring the BJP?" he questioned.

Speaking about the Kedarnath by-election, the Congress veteran said that he is hopeful about the party's performance there and expects to pull in a major chunk of votes there owing to their terrific hard work. "The BJP is scared. They have destroyed Kedarnath in the past eight years. No sign of development has been witnessed there," he claimed.

Earlier this month, he had said that there is nothing in Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and that it is only a promotional step. "It has been ten years since they were in power, so why did we not implement the UCC, Pushkar Singh Dhami came forward and he made this rattle so that the BJP can say that we are implementing UCC," he added.

The Uttrakhand UCC bill contains the laws relating to marriage, divorce, succession, live-in relationships, and related matters. Among the many proposals, the Uniform Civil Code Bill makes it compulsory for live-in relationships to be registered under the law.