news desk – Before the Uttarakhand assembly elections, the political tussle within the Congress seems to be intensifying. The party leadership has expressed objection regarding the 'Thanksgiving and Public Dialogue Yatra' of former Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Harish Rawat. Congress's Uttarakhand in-charge Kumari Selja had written a letter to Rawat on October 1, urging him not to go ahead with the yatra and his other personal programs. The party leadership says that any parallel program apart from the organization a few months before the elections is not in the interest of the party.
However, Harish Rawat did not give any indication of stopping the journey. On October 5, he announced to continue his journey from Jaspur to Haldwani. He wrote on social media that the challenge is big, but his resolve for the self-respect of Uttarakhand is also strong and there is no stopping now.
Why did Selja object?
Congress in-charge Kumari Selja said in her letter that Rawat's visit was neither discussed with her nor with the State Congress Committee President. He also said that assembly elections are near in the state and at such a time the party needs to work unitedly. In such a situation, a parallel program would not be appropriate for the party.
The concern of the Congress leadership is not limited to travel only. The party wants that the programs of senior leaders in the state should be coordinated with the organization, so that a message of unity is sent among the workers and the public before the elections. According to the Indian Express, Rawat's independent political activities have intensified discussions within the Uttarakhand Congress about his future political role.
Why is Rawat not stopping the journey?
Harish Rawat has had a long and influential political journey in Uttarakhand politics. Recently, after his recovery, his activity has increased again. He has described his journey as an initiative to directly communicate with the public and express his gratitude to them.
During the yatra, Rawat is continuously contacting the workers and common people. The program which started from Jaspur on October 5 was going to reach Haldwani via Kashipur, Ramnagar and Kaladhungi.
In such a situation, it would not be completely correct to see his activism only as a conflict with the party. It is also possible that Rawat wants to put forward his political activism and support base before the elections. However, his move has definitely intensified the debate within the party regarding his political role and election strategy.
Should this be considered rebellion?
At present, there has been no official announcement of Harish Rawat leaving Congress or forming a separate party. Therefore, it would be premature to directly call his journey a rebellion against the party. The current controversy is primarily about the coordination between the party organization and Rawat's personal political activities.
The challenge for the Congress is that on one hand organizational discipline and unity should be maintained, while on the other hand the political role of a senior leader like Harish Rawat should not be ignored.
This controversy is also important before the 2027 assembly elections in Uttarakhand, because in the coming months, Congress has to take big decisions like candidate selection, organization and electoral leadership. In such a situation, everyone will be keeping an eye on the direction in which this tussle between Harish Rawat and the party high command goes.