Expelled BJP leader Harak Singh Rawat met Congress leaders today and appealed to the high command to take him back into the party. Harak Singh Rawat had rebelled against the Congress government led by Harish Rawat in 2016 and had joined the BJP. He was expelled by the BJP recently after he allegedly put pressure on the party leadership to give tickets to his kin for next month’s Assembly polls, a charge denied by the leader.
However, his return to Congress might not be so simple, as Congress’ campaign head Harish Rawat has serious reservations about Harak Singh Rawat's re-entry into the party. This has also led some other prominent leaders loyal to the former chief minister to come out openly against the expelled BJP leader.
Aware of the increasing opposition to his re-entry into the Congress, Harak Singh Rawat met senior party leaders in Delhi today to make his case, sources said. Harak Singh Rawat had also expressed his readiness to apologize to him on Tuesday, describing him as his elder brother.
Adding fuel to fire, several Congress leaders have spoken against letting Harak Singh Rawat back to the party.
Pradeep Tamta, who is considered close to Harish Rawat, said, "If the party takes in people who rebelled against its government in 2016 under a conspiracy to murder democracy, it would be difficult for it to explain to people why it did so." He said "murderers of democracy should be kept at a distance" because there is no guarantee that they will not "repeat their sin again". Tamta is a Congress Rajya Sabha member. Kedarnath MLA Manoj Rawat also described Harak Singh Rawat as the "murderer of democracy".
(With PTI Inputs)
