Harish Rawat defies Congress warning, goes ahead with Uttarakhand yatra

Dehradun: The deep divide within the Congress fold in Uttarakhand has come to the fore with former CM Harish Rawat vowing to go ahead with his 'Dhanyawad Yatra' despite a strong warning from the Congress state in charge Kumari Seljai.

While Harish Rawat is pressing ahead with his public outreach programme from Jaspur to Haldwin Kumaon from today, the Congress High Command has adopted a tough stance. The party high command has already issued a strongly worded letter objecting to Rawat's "personal" public outreach programme being organised outside the official party organisation.

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Uttarakhand Congress in-charge Kumari Selja has advised Harish Rawat, popularly known as "Harदा" in the hills of Uttarakhand, to call off the 'Dhanyawad evam Jansamvad Yatra'. However, Rawat has made his position clear through a series of social media posts.

But Rawat appears unrelenting posting on social media, "Comrades, the challenge is great. But for the pride of Uttarakhand, our resolve is also firm! In this phase of the 'Dhanyawad evam Jansamvad Yatra'', there is no stopping now. Rise, let's go... We have to bring change in the state and bring the Congress back. From Jaspur to Haldwani, let us come together today, engage in dialogue, and take forward the fight for the rights of Devbhoomi."

Earlier, hours ahead of the Jaspur-Haldwani leg of the yatra, Rawat claimed to be launching the programme under the Congress flag and speaking about what he termed was an addiction epidemic in the state.

"While dozing off in the guest house of Dwarikesh Sugar Mill, for some reason an old Sarvodaya song began knocking at the doors of my mind-"Utho Dagadiyo, Muchal Jalaao." In Garhwali, these are the same words-"Utho Dagadiyo, Muchal Jalaao." There's not much difference in it. The way darkness seems to loom over village after village today, the way unemployment is surging toward its peak, the addiction epidemic has gripped Uttarakhand in the worst possible way, society is growing intolerant, crimes are on the rise, and incidents of atrocities against women are steadily increasing-these are the kinds of events that, when you ponder them, certain sequences of thoughts come knocking at the doors of your mind, intellect, and conscience. That's when these lines from the song came back to me, and just before falling asleep, I began humming them softly-"Utho Dagadiyo, Muchal Jalaao." A torch always pierces the darkness and brings forth light and faith. Just the mere recollection of this song has my confidence surging like waves," he posted on X.

Despite the high command's letter, Rawat has not postponed his programme. With the former Chief Minister having been kept out of the party's election team nearly a year ahead of the polls, his decision to proceed with the yatra is expected to further intensify the Congress leadership's displeasure.

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The internal friction has also reached the party's central leadership in Delhi, particularly after Rawat, who recently recovered from an illness, began organising programmes parallel to those planned by the party organisation.

Other Congress factions in Uttarakhand view Rawat's solo political move as a setback to the party's preparations for the upcoming elections. His supporters, however, maintain that the public outreach campaign is being organised in the larger interest of the Congress.

The latest confrontation has once again exposed the widening differences within the Uttarakhand Congress, with the party's internal discord increasingly spilling into the open.