Harak Singh Rawat's announcement of not contesting 2022 Uttarakhand Assembly polls creates ripples in political circles
Oct 24, 2020
Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], October 24 : Uttarakhand Cabinet Minister Harak Singh Rawat's announcement of not contesting 2022 Assembly polls in the state has caused a stir in the political circles of the state.
While Bharatiya Janata Party is not commenting upon the issue, Congress alleged that ministers are not getting proper treatment in their own government.
"In the BJP government, their ministers are being insulted. They are not respecting their leaders," said Uttarakhand Congress chief Pritam Singh.
According to sources, BJP leader Harak Singh Rawat was not given enough powers as a minister in the Uttarakhand government.
"Harak Singh was not given the power to take decisions independently during the BJP's tenure in Uttarakhand," said a source.
Harak Singh Rawat on Friday announced that he will not contest 2022 Assembly polls in the state.
"It has been a long time since I am an MLA and a minister. So, I decided not to contest the 2022 Assembly polls. I will also request the party high command that I don't want to contest the election. I am not taking a political retirement. I will continue working for the party and the state," Rawat told ANI.
This came after Rawat was removed from the post of the chairman of Uttarakhand Building and other Construction Workers Board.
When asked if his decision is a reaction to his removal from the workers' board, he said: "My decision is not related to this. I will speak to the Chief Minister regarding that issue."
Harak Singh Rawat has never been away from power since the year 2000. He was a minister in the Congress government in the year 2002, was the leader of opposition in the BJP government in 2007. He again became a minister when the Congress government came to power in 2012. He left Congress and later joined BJP in 2017 and since the BJP government in 2017, he is the state's forest and labour minister.
It is also worth mentioning here that in the Congress government of 2002, he had to resign after being named in a sex scandal. In the 2012 Congress government, he had to lose his ministerial position due to his revolt in 2016.
