Harish Rawat, former Uttarakhand chief minister, who has stirred speculations with his tweets and other Congress leaders have been summoned to New Delhi by the Congress high command to resolve the fresh row.
Congress legislature party leader Pritam Singh, state Congress chief Ganesh Godiyal, party leader Yashpal Arya are those slated to be in Delhi after Rawat, a close Gandhi family aide and trouble-shooter, spun cryptic tweets aimed at the Gandhis and hinting at retirement. With the recent instance of Amarinder Singh and his spat with Navjot Singh Sidhu, the Congress will try to prevent another rift and fallout.
Rawat, when asked by media persons, refused to offer an explanation for his tweets and instead said that he would “speak when the time comes”.
He has been considered by the Congress leadership as the chief ministerial face for the Assembly elections next year and his unsettling tweets have been seized by the dissident faction of Congress, the ‘G-23’, who had called for sweeping reforms including a “full-time leadership” and collective decision-making.
Uttarakhand and Punjab are among the five big states set for Assembly elections early next year, and in these states, Congress looks to retain power and thereby justify spearheading the Opposition which has been increasingly questioned and belittled by West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee.
After several rounds of talks with Sidhu, Congress was successful in keeping him and as similar talks begin in Delhi between Rawat and other Uttarakhand Congress leaders and party high command, the fate remains wrapped in suspense.