BD Kasniyal

Pithoragarh, December 4

There are rumours that veteran Congress leader ND Tiwari and his son Rohit Shekhar may join the BJP in the absence of an assurance of party ticket from the Lal Kuan Assembly seat in the Assembly elections next year. This also means that efforts by Chief Minister Harish Rawat to bring the father-son duo around have come to a naught.

Rohit Shekhar is keen to claim the political legacy of his father in his native Kumaon region and wants to contest the coming Assembly poll from Lal Kuan where Tewari has a considerable support. Both had met party national president Sonia Gandhi but did not get any firm assurance about ticket.

There were rumours that they could join the BJP during the public rally of BJP national president Amit Shah in Kumaon on December 7.

In order to placate Tiwari and his son, Chief Minister Harish Rawat, who had been a bitter political rival of Tiwari, named Rohit Shekhar as one of the vice-presidents of tje Uttarakhand Swatanatra Sangram Senani Evam and Uttardhikarti Parishad (a body of freedom fighters and their next of kin).

Rohit Sekhar was not impressed by the decision and termed it as an attempt by the Chief Minister to fool them. He charged Harish Rawat with making fun of the veteran leader by offering a position without a government order (GO).

“It is merely an effort to win brownie points, as the Chief Minister has issued the information to the media without issuing a government order and taking approval from me, as is the process the government follows in such cases,” said Rohit Shekhar while speaking with mediapersons at Haldwani today.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister cautioned Tiwari and his son not to join the BJP as the opposition party only wants to exploit them for political purpose. “Rohit Shekhar should be aware of the fate of former Union Cabinet minister KC Pant, who left the Congress to join the BJP and was humiliated in his last days of his life,” he said in Haldwani.

Election game plan

There are rumours that ND Tiwari and his son Rohit Shekhar can join the BJP during the rally of BJP national president Amit Shah in Kumaon on December 7.

Both had met Congress president Sonia Gandhi but did not get any firm assurance about ticket from Lal Kuan.

Rohit Shekhar is not impressed with Harish Rawat’s decision to appoint him one of the vice-presidents of the Uttarakhand Swatantarta Sangram Senani Evam and Uttardhikarti Parishad.

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