Veteran Congress leader and former Uttarakhand CM Harish Rawat interacts with journalists at IWPC on Friday
The former chief minister of Uttarakhand and member CWC Harish Rawat said that the Uniform Civil Code is primarily a national issue and its implementation by the Uttarakhand government is nothing but a ploy to misguide the people of Uttarakhand and the country deriving maximum political capital out of it.
Rawat said that the Uttarakhand chief minister has been used as a tool by the BJP in this matter just to befool people as even after the announcement of the UCC in Uttarakhand after six months the CM has not framed any parameters to officially implement it nor mentioned about principles in this regard.
The veteran Congress leader Harish Rawat was speaking to journalists in an interactive session in the office of the Indian Women Press Corps in New Delhi as the chief guest on the invitation of its president Parul Sharma and the IWPC management committee.
On the question of Hindu Muslim differences in Uttarakhand after the formation of the BJP government in the Himalayan state for the second term – the former chief minister Harish Rawat said that the muslims of Uttarakhand are more Pahadi than us or say Harish Rawat.
There is no difference between the Hindus and Muslims in Uttarakhand. However , the BJP didn’t have any concrete roadmap of socio economic development of the state but unfortunately the narratives of alleged communal hatred like Love Jihad and Thook Jihad are being created deliberately in order polarise politics absolutely with the sole agenda of exploiting the situation to derive political capital out of it.
Rawat catagorically said that they always talk of Love Jihad , thuk jihad etc but have no credible road map of socio economic development of the state. Love is never one sided. Then how can it be Love Jihad , he questioned ?
This is really extremely worrisome. He said in Uttarakhand there is tremendous amount of communal harmony, people live in peaceful coexistence. There is no Hindu Muslim differences here but it is the compulsion of the saffron party to keep this issue always alive through set narratives especially during elections.
Today in the name of Sanathan , the new generation is being threatened or making them fearful.
Majority is being frightened in the name of MINORITIES . How long will this continue asked Harish Rawat.
He assured one and all that Congress party will always be at the forefront to establish harmony, brotherhood, tranquility in the society including tolerance. Its first and foremost agenda is believing in a pluralistic society and diversity in unity but unfortunately the BJP always want to keep the minority – majority devide intact to capitalise the political benefit always forgetting that now even those in BJP are fed up with the polarisation in the name of religion and misuse of ED, CBI and IT to harrass and victimise those who oppose them and don’t fall in line with the BJP.
On the question of the increasing factionalism in the party and promoting his daughter and son by first making her victorious as MLA from Haridwar and then getting the parliament ticket for his son Virendra Rawat , thus promoting dynastic rule , Harish Rawat said that giving ticket to his son and daughter was primarily the decision of the party high command. They have noticed political potential in them and stamped my recommendation they how can I be held responsible.
Regarding the factionalism in the party Rawat catagorically said that we have top leaders with immense political acumen in Uttarakhand and every leader has their targets and ambitions but to give the name of factionalism is not fair. Though he skipped this question by not giving a convincing answer but he accepted that if the party wants to come to power next time in Uttarakhand though we are hundred percent sure to stage a come back but the top leadership should definitely amend itself by taking important decisions in time, declaring the candidates quite in time than deciding them at the last hour and arriving at important decisions too late. He also accepted that party definitely needs to be rejuvenated with renewed vigour and vitality and he is sure that in 2027 it is coming to power in Uttarakhand by all means.
He confidently said : The party needs to take several corrective steps and measures in time in order to strengthen it. The party should take decisive actions quite in time than taking actions in the last, especially in terms of deciding the tickets during assembly and parliament elections said Harish Rawat.
Regarding the immediate need for framing concrete land policies and credible land act in Uttarakhand Harish Rawat said that a “Sashakt Bhu Kanoon” is the need of the hour in Uttarakhand as majority of the large tracts of lands in Uttarakhand have been bought by outsiders, the capitalist and ultra rich thus spoiling the demography of Uttarakhand.
He blamed the then BJP government in 2017-18 for lifting the ceiling on the 12.5 acres of land thus giving a free hand to land sharks and mafias to buy majority of the lands from Rishikesh to Kodiyala and from Ramnagar to distant areas of Kumaon including in Garhwal region where thousands of resorts have come up on riversides and on hill stations with umpteen hotels with bars not only spoiling the demography but also destroying and damaging the already fragile environment and ecology of Uttarakhand including bringing criminals in the land of abode of Gods.
Rawat said that he and Manoj Rawat ( then Congress MLA) were two persons who had outrightly opposed the move of the then BJP government during the tenure of Trivendra Singh Rawat when the ceiling on 12.5 acres of land was lifted and doors opened for as much of land one can buy in Uttarakhand under the guise of opening 28 industrial units or tourism related projects in Uttarakhand.
On the question of the change he sees in Parliament after the entry of Priyanka Gandhi in Parliament adding her shoulder to Rahul Gandhi’s initiatives to fight BJP and the government, Harish Rawat said that the democracy in the country have become more strengthened and the government at the centre has come on the defensive mode. He has complained against the influenced and pressurised media saying that they have become the spokesman of the government and are not highlighting the achievements and performance of Rahul and Priyanka in Parliament rather busy in highlighting the saffron party.
On the question of the dictatorial and one sided attitude of the chairman of Rajya Sabha towards the opposition and Mallikarjun Kharge etc on the no confidence motion brought against him Harish Rawat said the chairman of RajyaSabha should be transparent, judicious, and impartial. He is openly favouring the ruling party . This is unfortunate. Therefore the no confidence motion brought against him by the India National Developmental Inclusive Alliance MPs should not be taken as challenge to him. It is their constitutional right said Harish Rawat.
On one nation one election agenda of the BJP led NDA government backed by the prime minister Narendra Modi, Harish Rawat said One nation one election is dangerous for regional parties and amounts to direct attack on Federalism. The Congress party and INDIA constituents are completely against the one nation one election theory of the BJP led NDA government. On the question of BJP MP of Haridwar Trivendra Rawat speaking against his own government in parliament the other day that rampant mining is taking place in Ganges in Haridwar on a massive scale thus spoiling our environment and ecology Harish Rawat said he should rather be patted on his back as he has honestly accepted about prevailing corruption in illegal mining in Uttarakhand and Haridwar , his own constituency saying further that Ganga and its tributaries are being badly extracted of its natural resources through illegal Mining on massive scale thus adversely affecting the already fragile environment of Uttarakhand. This needs to be stopped forthwith said the veteran Congress leader.
He said that he will try to convince the party leadership to include the major points on green environment and ecology of Uttarakhand to ensure that in future the way so called unfriendly environmental development is massively spoiling our mountains, the jungles, its rivers and ecology though widespread pollution and making our hills hollow from inside through dynamite explosions and constructing hundreds of kilometres of tunnels inside should be stopped as Uttarakhand comes under Zone 5 already a badly risky zone prone to massive tectonic upheavals and disasters of uncontrollable magnitude in future.
