Uttarakhand: Senior Congress leader supports Harish Rawat amid post-poll faction fighting

Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], March 17 : Amid growing blame game within the Uttarakhand unit of the Congress, the party's manifesto committee chairman for just concluded state polls Navprabhat lent his support to the former Chief Minister Harish Rawat, saying that it is not right to level allegations of sale of tickets and posts after the poll results.
Navprabhat on Thursday said that if such allegations (by the Congress leaders in the state) were correct, they should have been brought to the fore at the initial stages and not after the poll results.
"If they are levelling allegations and that person (Harish Rawat) had played his part in selling tickets when holding an important post, then a warning should have been issued on the same day. It is not correct to level such allegations after the declaration of results. It not only harms an individual but the entire party," Navprabhat told ANI.
Earlier this week, Rawat responded to the allegations, saying that the charges be proved and actions, including expulsion from the party, should be taken against him if they come true.
"The allegation of selling posts and party tickets is very serious. If the allegations are being levelled against a person who has been Chief Minister, state president of the party, and the general secretary, then the matter becomes more serious," Rawat had said in a Twitter post on Tuesday.
"I pray to God, the Congress expels me in light of these allegations (if they're true)," he had added.
After a poll drubbing in state Assembly polls and with Lok Sabha elections just two years away, Navprabhat called for addressing the issue of factionalism in the party ranks and said that those indulging in such acts be not given important posts.
"Factionalism should not be given protection at any cost and those inciting such activities should not sit on important posts. We should create such a situation that these things could be stopped. The Lok Sabha elections are not far away and we cannot even be optimistic with the prevailing situation," he said.
He said that Congress should work on "collective leadership".
"It is not appropriate to form your own faction and promote it. Leadership is always collective and so is responsibility. The onus for defeat cannot be put on any particular person. If a new faction was deliberately created in any Assembly constituency and the Congress candidate was harmed by any senior leader in the elections, then the party should consider it as a very serious allegation and action be taken," he said.
The Congress leader also urged the High Command to conduct an in-depth review and organize a 'chintan shivir'.
On being asked about some Congress leaders being accused of helping the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Navprabhat said that this definitely took place in some constituencies.
"This allegation cannot be proved easily but it can be assessed," he said.
Navprabhat also emphasised the role of Congress as an Opposition party in the state Assembly.
"Leader of Opposition and president of the party have important roles in the party," he said.
The Congress leader said that from 2007 to 2012, Congress was in Opposition in the state. "Yashpal Arya served in the party as state president and after that Congress came to power. It is important to study how he worked. A review should be conducted on the way party operated during 2007- 12 and 2017- 22," he said.
The BJP retained power in Uttarakhand, winning 47 seats. Congress, which was banking on anti-incumbency against the state government, won 19 seats in the 70-member state Assembly.
The Assembly elections were held in Uttarakhand on February 14 to elect 70 members of the Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly. The results were declared on March 10.