We toppled Harish Rawat government for people, says Vijay Bahuguna

DEHRADUN: Rebel Congress leader Vijay Bahuguna, who heads the group of nine MLAs disqualified by Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal under the antidefection law, has said that the group’s chances of reconciliation with the Congress was unlikely, even while adding all options were open in the current political situation.

Accompanied by eight disqualified MLAs of the state assembly, Bahuguna returned to Dehradun from Delhi on Thursday. When asked about chances of their return to the Congress party, Bahuguna said: “Hum Congress se bahut door aa gaye hain (we are too far away from the Congress). “We have taken a political step. We have toppled a government. We have done it deliberately. We know the consequences of it,” Bahuguna said.

The political rivalry between two former chief ministers Harish Rawat and Vijay Bahuguna has never been a secret in Uttarakhand politics. Bahuguna was replaced by Harish Rawat in February 2013. Bahuguna claimed that his group had decided to dislodge Rawat from power in the interest of the people of the state.

“It was perhaps the first example when a chief minister did not resign after the Appropriation Bill could not be passed by the House,” Vijay Bahuguna claimed.

Bahuguna demanded that there should be a probe on ‘corruption’ during Harish Rawat government’s tenure in the state. “I express my gratitude to the state governor for his tough stand to check illegal mining,” Vijay Bahuguna said.

Commenting on the decision of Speaker Kunjwal to disqualify the rebels from the assembly, Bahuguna said, “he was in a hurry.”

Vijay Bahuguna and his supporters have challenged the decision of the Speaker to disqualify them from the assembly in the Uttarakhand high court. The Congress had a strength of 36 MLAs, excluding the Speaker, when nine of them revolted.

The anti-defection law recognises a split only if two-thirds of legislators break away from a party. Bahuguna did not confirm if his group was planning to float a new political party before assembly elections which is scheduled next year. “We will take our decision. We will consult our workers and leaders,” he said.