Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna targeted ousted successor Harish Rawat for rampant illegal mining in all major rivers in the state. He asserted that it led to his downfall in the state.
Holding Rawat responsibel for the imposition of President’s rule in the hill state, Bahuguna criticised him for relying only on a few “close” associates and maintaining a distance from selected party MLAs.
The verbal spat has escalated between the two CMs, both belonging to the Congress, after the party came to power in the state in the 2012 Assembly elections. The political crisis in Uttarakhand has not diluted ever since nine MLAs of the Bahuguna faction revolted against the Rawat government on March 18.
“Rawat himself is to be blamed for the imposition of President’s rule in Uttarakhand. If he had resigned after his government was reduced to a minority in the state Assembly it would not have happened. Someone else from the Congress or some other party would have got a chance to form the government,” Bahuguna said on Friday.
He said, “The Governor should explore possibilities for forming a government. We want that a government should be formed at the earliest.”