New Delhi: Just months ahead of the Uttarakhand election, former chief minister and Congress leader Harish Rawat, in a series of tweets, hinted that he was not receiving the required support from the party and was reconsidering his future.
In a cryptic message on Twitter, Harish Rawat, who is said to be close to the Gandhis, appears to be critical of the Congress leadership.
Harish Rawat, who was recently the Punjab Congress in charge and handled the internal turmoil that ended in Charanjit Singh Channi replacing Amarinder Singh as the chief minister, also indicated that he was thinking of quitting electoral politics.
'It Is Time To Rest': Harish Rawat Hints At Retirement
Taking to Twitter, Harish 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."
"The powers that be have let loose many crocodiles (predators) in the sea that we have to navigate. Those whom I am supposed to follow, their people have tied my hands and feet. I have been getting the feeling that Harish Rawat, it's gone too far, you have done enough, it is time to rest," Harish Rawat tweeted.
Asserting that he was reconsidering his future, the Congress leader said, "Then there is a voice in the head that quietly says I am neither weak nor will run from challenges. I am in turmoil. Hope the New Year shows me the way. I am confident that Lord Kedarnath (Shiva), will show me the way."
With the Uttarakhand election coming up early next year, Harish Rawat's message has caused a flutter in the state Congress unit, which has been plagued by factionalism.
What BJP Said On Harish Rawat's Tweets
Reacting to Harish Rawat's remarks, former Uttarakhand chief minister TS Rawat said how would a party fight polls if it couldn't stay intact.
"Harish Rawat is a senior Congress leader. Whatever he says, has some substance...It reflects his pain when he says that people in his party trying to suppress him. The party which can't stay intact, how will it fight polls? Indeed it will benefit BJP," ANI quoted him as saying.
Surinder Aggarwal, advisor to Harish Rawat, accused the BJP of creating differences between Harish Rawat and Congress members.
"If his (Rawat) posters are removed from Rahul Gandhi's rally in the presence of Devendra Yadav, then his role comes into doubt. There's a probability that Devendra Yadav is involved in the conspiracy," ANI quoted Aggarwal as saying.
"BJP may have used ED or CBI to threaten any of our members. They may have misguided our colleague to fulfill their motive of creating differences between Harish Rawat and our members," he said.