BackNot thinking of snap assembly polls: Harish Rawat
Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat says his priority is to restore the development of the state which got derailed in the past two months
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New Delhi: After meeting Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat on Thursday said he was not thinking of snap polls to the assembly and wanted to focus on “restoring" development.
“That will happen when the time comes. Right now, the priority is to restore the development of Uttarakhand, which has got derailed in the last two months. The state’s development momentum has got a jolt, which we have to bring back," Rawat said.
“This is the biggest priority before our cabinet and government and we are focussed on that. Uttarakhand wants its development. We want to grow in our own way. Our fight is against poverty, development," he told reporters when asked about the possibility of a cabinet reshuffle or snap polls in the state.
There has been speculation that Congress may go for a snap election to clear uncertainty with the issue of disqualification of its nine members of legislative assembly before the Supreme Court.
BJP to send defamation notice
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday said it will send a defamation notice to Uttarakhand Congress chief Kishore Upadhyay for accusing it of spending ₹ 700 crore to lure Congress MLAs and toppling the state government.
A defamation notice is being served on the state Congress chief for levelling an unfounded allegation against the BJP without producing any evidence, state BJP president Ajay Bhatt said in a statement.
Upadhyay had accused the BJP of spending ₹ 700 crore to “buy" Congress MLAs and dislodge the Harish Rawat government.
Bhatt urged the Central Bureau of Investigation to probe all the sting operations carried out against Rawat. Praising governor K.K. Paul for taking some “very good decisions" in public interest during the President’s rule, the BJP leader said the party will protest any attempt by the Rawat government to reverse policy decisions taken during the central rule.
“Apart from steps taken on the development front, the rule of the mining and liquor mafia in the state had been brought to an end under the President’s rule which was even welcomed by people in general," Bhatt said.
“Policy decisions taken during the President’s rule should not be changed. If there is an attempt by the Rawat government to reverse them, the party will protest against it," Bhatt said.
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