Keen to rejoin the Congress after being expelled from the Bharatiya Janata Party, Harak Singh Rawat on Tuesday said he is ready to apologise to former chief minister Harish Rawat any number of times for the sake of Uttarakhand's interests.
The defeat in the elections has put a question mark on the five-time MP and former Union minister's political future.
Rawat had played a crucial role in the removal of Amarinder Singh as chief minister of Punjab, who was replaced by Charanjit Singh Channi.
The transfer of land near the Indian Military Academy (IMA) for a purported Islamic educational institution is under investigation, raising security concerns and political accusations.
Union minister Harish Rawat, who lost in the race for Uttarakhand chief ministership, is sulking and said to have resigned from the Union government.
'People in Punjab put their opinion very strongly there and it looks like they will fight. But, there is nothing like that, and they find solutions to their problems'
Union Minister Harish Rawat, who was sulking after having been denied chief ministership of Uttarakhand, on Sunday had all smiles as celebrations broke out at his residence in New Delhi over his elevation to the Cabinet rank.
He said that to concentrate on the upcoming polls in Uttarakhand, it had been on his mind to seek to be relieved of the responsibility of the party's Punjab affairs in-charge.
He said that just as there are rules related to religious conduct in mosques and churches, there are also traditional rules in Hindu religious places.
Opinion polls by a section of the media channels have stated that Harish Rawat is the most liked politician for the post of chief minister, way ahead of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.
In a tweet in Hindi, Rawat said, 'Isn't it strange that the organisational structure at most places, instead of extending a helping hand, is standing with its head turned away or playing a negative role at a time when I have to swim across the ocean of elections.'
With the Uttarakhand assembly set to witness a crucial floor test on May 10, a new crisis has risen for former chief minister Harish Rawat in the form of a fresh sting video, which allegedly shows Congress Member of Legislative Assembly Madan Singh admitting to horse-trading.
I don't want to hide that some questions are still being resolved, Rawat said.
With Sonia Gandhi putting her seal of approval on his name, Harish Rawat was elected on Saturday the Congress Legislature Party leader in Uttarakhand, paving the way for Haridwar MP's swearing in as new chief minister of the hill state.
Harish Rawat, senior leader of the Congress Party and minister of state for parliamentary affairs and food process has been sulking ever since Vijay Bahuguna was sworn in as the chief minister of Uttrakhand at the instance of Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
Rawat lost from Kichcha and Haridwar (Rural) seats.
Harish Rawat, a Union Minister, was on Saturday sworn in as the new chief minister of Uttarakhand, succeeding Vijay Bahuguna who was asked by the Congress high command to step down in a bid to boost the party's prospects ahead of the April-May Lok Sabha polls.
Rawat has been called by the CBI to join the probe on Monday, sources said.
The high court dismissed the petition of Congress MLAs challenging their disqualification and the Supreme Court refusing to give any relief to them.
Close aides say Rawat does not give in easily and uses all political tools to marginalise his adversaries.
Uttarakhand Police have filed an FIR to identify alleged 'VIPs' in connection with the Ankita Bhandari murder case, following a recommendation for a CBI probe. The FIR was lodged based on a complaint filed by environmentalist Anil Prakash Joshi, highlighting concerns about concealed or destroyed evidence related to an unidentified 'VIP'.
Uttarakhand CM Harish Rawat visited BJP MP Tarun Vijay in the hospital, who was attacked by a mob after he visited a temple in Chakrata along with a Dalit leader.
It's being touted as the baap of all face-swaps.
With the Bharatiya Janata Party waiting to pull down the Congress-led state government, the new chief minister's duration of service will all depend on the results of the Lok Sabha elections, says Anita Katyal.
Just weeks before the assembly polls, expelled Bharatiya Janata Party's Uttarakhand minister Harak Singh Rawat rejoined his old party, the Congress, on Friday in the presence of former chief minister Harish Rawat.
Names of at least half a dozen leaders, including Dhan Singh Rawat, Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and Satpal Maharaj, are doing the rounds to replace Trivendra Singh Rawat, who resigned as the chief minister of Uttarakhand on Tuesday.
Rawat through his tweets on Wednesday had expressed anguish at the factionalism in the state unit and noted that thought has been crossing his mind that "it is time to rest".
"Congress state in-charge Harish Rawat is my good friend but who gave him the right to take such a big decision about Punjab at his level? What is the meaning of Captain's leadership now after the Kharge committee's decision to contest elections under Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi?" Congress MLA Pargat Singh said.
Responding to the controversy, Congress leader Harish Rawat refused to comment on Aiyar's remarks, dismissing him as a "frustrated individual."
A Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Right to Information activist on Saturday accused the Harish Rawat government of paying Rs 47.19 lakh out of disaster relief funds to a firm, in which singer Kailash Kher has a stake, for a tourism video featuring cricketer Virat Kohli.
Rebel Congress MLA and former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna, who also reached Delhi, said he is surprised why CM Harish Rawat has not resigned so far on moral grounds.
In his nomination papers, Rawat has only mentioned the name of Renuka Rawat as his spouse. Shishir Prashant reports.
A special court in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, has ordered a CBI investigation into the 2021 killing of Kamlesh Prajapati in an alleged fake encounter. The court rejected the CBI's closure report and directed the agency to investigate the role of several police officers and politicians, including the then revenue minister, in the case. The court found that the police's claims about the encounter were fabricated and that the killing was not carried out in the discharge of official duty.
Putting up a brave front, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday asserted the Harish Rawat government remains in a minority and it will be proved on April 29 when it takes the floor test, after the Uttrakhand high court restored the Congress government, revoking the President's rule.
Uttarakhand minister Amrita Rawat, wife of Satpal Maharaj who recently left Congress to join the Bharatiya Janata Party, was on Monday sacked by Chief Minister Harish Rawat from the state cabinet and an Independent member of Legislative Assembly was sworn in as minister.
Inability to take everyone along during his nearly four-year term led to Trivendra Singh Rawat's undoing. He tried to take control of all major departments by holding on to more than 40 of them, but still could not deliver.
Sulking Congress leader Harish Rawat on Sunday said he has not received any "concrete proposals" from the Congress leadership to end the stalemate in Uttarakhand but has no intention of destabilising the Vijay Bahuguna government.
Despite the ongoing rift in the Punjab Congress, party leader Harish Rawat on Tuesday said that all is well in the state and expressed confidence in its victory in the forthcoming assembly polls.
The CBI on Sunday asked Uttarakhand CM Harish Rawat to appear before the agency on May 24 in connection with a probe into the sting operation involving him.
The BJP expelled Harak Singh Rawat from the primary membership of the party for six years on Sunday amid speculations that he was joining the Congress.
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