Groups clashed in Haridwar not associated with party: Ajay Bhatt
Ahead of the BJP national president Amit Shah’s two-day visit to Dehradun next week, the ruling party sought to downplay the clash involving the supporters of two Cabinet ministers and the Haridwar mayor
Ahead of the BJP national president Amit Shah’s two-day visit to Dehradun next week,
the ruling party sought to downplay the clash involving the supporters of two Cabinet ministers
and the Haridwar mayor.
BJP state president Ajay Bhatt said the internal probe committee has prima facie found that none of the person involved in the clash was associated with the party. “There were supporters of Satpal Maharajji and workers of Municipal Corporation who were involved in the clash. And both were not the members of the BJP. It looks like there was some miscommunication among them,” Bhatt said on Wednesday.
In August, the supporters of tourism minister Satpal Maharaj and Haridwar mayor Manoj Garg along with others clashed when the latter went to Prem Nagar ashram owned by Satpal’s trust in a bid to demolish the alleged encroached portion. Garg was joined by the supporters of local legislator and urban development minister Madan Kaushik. Both sides filed police complaints against each other, much to the embarrassment of the BJP government.
Chief Minister TS Rawat had to intervene to pacify warring groups but still neither of the side has withdrawn the police complaints.
Bhatt said the party will decide on the future course of action only once the final report of police comes. “We don’t want our report to overlap over the police report and, therefore, we will wait for the police report.”
Although, the party has disassociated itself with the other two cases involving legislators Pranav Singh Champion and Yatishwaranand. Police cases have been filed against duo. In the Champion case, a supporter of Haridwar MP Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank filed the report and an ABVP worker filed the report against Yatishwaranand in the second case.
“What can we do?” said Bhatt when he was reminded of his earlier statement that the police should “refrain” from filing report against the public representatives.
The BJP state president though hinted the party might serve notice in another case involving Dehradun mayor Vinod Chamoli whose video went viral in which he is purportedly heard talking to the chief minister over phone after he failed to meet the district magistrate.
