BJP asks Cong not to expect a walkover in RS

Stating that "Congress-free India" is its commitment, the BJP today asked the ruling party why it expects the opposition party in Uttarakhand to give it a walkover in Rajya Sabha.
"We are pitted against Congress everywhere and building a Congress-free India is our commitment. Why in a situation like this does the Congress expect us to give it a walkover in the Rajya Sabha?" Pradesh BJP President Ajay Bhatt said in a statement here.
Replying to Chief Minister Harish Rawat's objection to BJP backing Independents who are in the fray for Rajya Sabha, Bhatt said the party had never made a secret of its intentions to support Independents.

"The BJP had of course said it will not enter the fray as it did not have the numbers but we always said we may support Independents in the interest of the state and we have done exactly that," Bhatt said.
If some people want to contest for the Rajya Sabha seat as independents what is wrong in that? he asked.
BJP leaders Gita Thakur and Anil Goel have filed their papers as Independents.

Bhatt also asked Rawat to explain to people what compromises did he have to make to quell the revolt in PDF and Congress sparked by Pradeeep Tamta's nomination as the party's candidate for Rajya Sabha.

Burying their differences, ruling allies Congress and PDF in Uttarakhand yesterday fielded a joint candidate for the Rajya Sabha with former Lok Sabha MP from Almora Pradeep Tamta filing his nomination for the Upper House seat from the hill state on behalf of the alliance.
Tamta's candidature had earlier raised eyebrows in the PDF which was expecting a Rajya Sabha seat in recognition of its consistent support to Harish Rawat during the recent political crisis in the state which finally saw him winning the floor test in the state Assembly and being reinstated as Chief Minister.
It had also not gone down well with some contenders for the seat within Congress including former PCC president Yashpal Arya.

However, last minute confabulations with the Congress high command assuaged ruffled feathers with PDF deciding to stay out of the fray and field a joint candidate with Congress for the Upper House of Parliament.