U'khand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat Told To Go Strict On 'Resentment'

The Chief Minister along with the party MLAs was asked to fly to Dehradun by helicopter in the afternoon on Saturday soon after the budget session of the state assembly was adjourned sine die in a hasty way.

Trivendra Singh Rawat (Image Source : PTI)

Dehradun, March 7 (IANS) The BJP High Command has asked Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat to take "serious action" in the face of the simmering resentment within a section of the state party MLAs and MPs who are opposed to his style of functioning, top party sources said here on Sunday.

The high command's decision to send former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh to hold an unscheduled meeting of the core committee on Saturday in Dehradun when the assembly session was discussing the state budget at Gairsain has raised many eyebrows both in the Chief Minister's camp as well as that of his opponents.

"Something is going on. Just wait and watch," said a top party leader on the condition of anonymity. A reshuffle as well as the expansion in the state cabinet is also on the cards, the sources said.

The Chief Minister along with the party MLAs was asked to fly to Dehradun by helicopter in the afternoon on Saturday soon after the budget session of the state assembly was adjourned sine die in a hasty way.

"There was something very serious indeed when the party high command suddenly decided to send Raman ji to Dehradun without any prior information to the CM's office," a source close to the Chief Minister said.

However, the party observers here claim that the party high command is not in favour of a change of guard for the time being. The party high command is likely to summon CM Rawat to New Delhi shortly.

"We believe Rawat is likely to travel to New Delhi to hold further discussions with the party high command before they take any future decision," a senior party leader said. In this context, the leader pointed out that Raman Singh was sent to Dehradun as an independent observer which itself was a surprise element in the core committee meeting.

"In normal circumstances Dushayant Kumar Gautam, who is the incharge of the party affairs in the state is himself a competent to hold such meetings. But the high command by sending Raman Singh has made it a point that it was very serious on the political affairs in the state," the leader said.

State BJP President Bansidhar Bhagat when contacted stated that the core committee meeting did not discuss anything related to the change of guard in the state. "I have made it clear earlier also that there was no discussion on change of guard," he said.

On March 18, CM Rawat will complete four years in office, an event which will be celebrated in a big way in the state, Bhagat said.

--IANS
shishir/pgh