Dehradun: Reacting to accusations against him, former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat said on Tuesday that he 'prays to God' that Congress would penalise him if allegations against him proved to be true. Rawat, after the party's election debacle, has been accused of selling assembly seats among other allegations.
"At such an old age, this is perhaps the only thing that was left. Those in the BJP are saying that I had promised a Muslim University. Meanwhile, to add to the pain, now some people in Congress are saying that I sold the candidatures. Such a person should not remain in the party, so I have offered Congress the same thing. I pray to God that Congress takes action against me," Rawat said on Tuesday.
Additionally, the former CM said Congress should 'burn him' ahead of 'Holika Dahan' on the occasion of Holi. The Congress veteran's comments came after allegations by Congress' Uttarakhand chief Ranjit Rawat on Monday, with the latter accusing Rawat of causing the party's electoral loss in three seats: Ramnagar, Lalkuwa and Salt.
Also read: Cong poll debacle in Uttarakhand: Ranjit Rawat accuses Harish Rawat of 'selling tickets'
"I have said this before; He utters lies with an apparent innocence. A year back, I had said that Harish Rawat is not mentally well, and that he requires rest. Today, I want to reiterate the same thing. He caused losses in three seats of Ramnagar, Lalkuwa and Salt.
His managers have taken money from candidates during the elections, and the list includes names which he did not even send to the screening committee. His managers have provided refunds to some people, while some still have not received their money. You will soon see three-four such stories surface", Ranjit Rawat said.
Meanwhile, BJP has capitalised on statements by Akil Ahmad, Congress vice president in Uttarakhand, who ahead of the assembly elections said Rawat promised him to set up a 'Muslim University' in the state. The ruling party seemed to have successfully fuelled its campaign from this episode, with BJP reminding voters of Uttarakhand's fame as 'Dev Bhumi' (holy land).
