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After issuing emotional appeals, Chief Minister Harish Rawat has created a flutter in the political circles of Uttarakhand by indicating that the BJP might try to destabilize his government after the elections.
“I am warning BJP that in case it tries to bring down my government then it will not see victory in the state for the next 20-25 years,” said Rawat at an election rally here on Saturday evening.
Rawat’s comments came after issuing a series of emotional appeals in the run up to the May 7 elections asking the people to vote for the stability of the coalition government which he is heading in the hill state.
The fate of the Harish Rawat government hinges on the fragile coalition government where the 33-member Congress party is sharing power with 7-member the Progressive Democratic Front, an amalgam of two suspended BSP and four independent MLAs, in the 70-member House. BJP has strength of 30 members in the House.
Fears are also being expressed in the political circles that BJP leader Satpal Maharaj, who recently quit Congress, might try to destabilize the Rawat government after elections. A section Congress leaders claimed that Maharaj still commands support of 4-5 MLAs including his wife Amrita in the ruling party.
Though Maharaj is a perceived fear factor after the election, political observers say Rawat also wants to test his own popularity in the elections as he tells people that BJP is trying to oust him from power. But they also aver Rawat is not facing any threat from Congress leaders within the ruling party as of now.
Nevertheless, Rawat is taking nothing to chance as far as his own position and prestige are concerned. “Stakes are very high for Harish Rawat since he was mainly sent to Uttarkahand to boost the fortunes of Congress,” said a senior Congress leader.
