DEHRADUN: There appears to be delay in the much anticipated induction of rebel BJP Minister Harak Singh Rawat into the Congress. Even as the political analysts keep a close watch on this ‘Will he? Wouldn’t he?’ situation, the Uttarakhand Congress party media incharge Professor Gourav Vallabh on Wednesday clarified that the decision on induction of any senior leader is made by the Congress top brass and in this case, the discussions are on.
Speaking to The New Indian, Vallabh, said, “For the entry of senior leaders into the party, decision is taken at the AICC and PCC levels. In this case too, the discussions and thought process is on. We have not arrived at the final result. We will let you know once we will have any answers.”
According to the party leaders in Uttarakhand, induction of Harak Singh Rawat has almost been finalised and he can be inducted into the party fold anytime soon after the clearance from top brass in Delhi.
Rawat, who was a minister in BJP government in Uttarakhand was expelled for six years from the party for anti-party activities. He arrived in Dehradun from Delhi on Tuesday evening.
When asked about party’s candidate list, the Congress leader said, “The Congress will release its first list for the Uttarakhand assembly polls by January 21.”
Interestingly, the nomination for February 14 assembly polls starts on January 21, thus giving no chance to any leaders to switch sides to any other party.
Vallabh, who launched a booklet titled ‘Aamdani na hui Dugani, dard sau guna’ at party headquarters here said, “In 2016, Prime Minister Narendra Modi while addressing a public meeting in Barelliy announced that the income of farmers will double by 2022. Now we are well into 2022, but the farmers’ income has not been doubled. On the contrary, the income of his friends has already doubled.”
The booklet, he shared, highlights the “anti-agriculture and anti-farmer stand” of the Modi government in the last seven years.
“The booklet is the white paper of the Modi government’s approach on agriculture issues,” he said, adding that after coming to power the Modi government brought the land acquisition law to take the lands of farmers, however, following the pressure of Rahul Gandhi and the Congress, the government has had to take it back.
Similarly, the government in its affidavit informed the Supreme Court that if it provides farmers the MSP as per the Swaminathan Committee report, then the market will be distorted. The booklet also highlights how farmers are earning Rs 27 a day and are having debt of Rs 74,000 and how farming a hecatre of land is now costing Rs 25,000 to farmers and how farmers have been cheated on the name of Kisan Samman Nidhi.
Targeting the BJP government at the centre over PM crop insurance scheme, he said, it is only a profiteering business for his industrialist friends.
He said that this booklet also mentions how farmers have to sit at Delhi borders for 380 days to get the three black farm laws repealed and how their leaders and ministers abused them and also how son of a minister mowed down the farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri.
To a question seeking his reaction on the government roll back of the three farm laws in Winter Session of Parliament, Vallabh said, “The decision to repeal Farm laws was taken after they lost badly in Himachal Pradesh. It was with eye on elections in Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Punjab and Manipur that they took the decision to not only repeal farm laws but also to reduce fuel prices.
“So the good days for farmers, labourers and people came after BJP was defeated. And in our booklet, we have said that to give back the good days BJP needs to be defeated,” he added.
The voting for 70 member assembly polls will be held on February 14 in single phase. Counting of votes will take place on March 10.
The Congress is looking to make a comeback in the state after it was deserted in 2017 assembly polls.