'Expectations are high...': BJP national general secy on Rawat's resignation

The change in the state leadership shouldn't be read as an indication of his Rawat's failure, BJP national general secretary Dushyant Gautam said.

Trivendra Singh Rawat, who resigned as the chief minister of Uttarakhand on Tuesday, will be given a role at the central level said the Bharatiya Janata party’s national general secretary Dushyant Gautam.

Dehradun: Uttarakhand chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat arrives to address a press conference after tendering his resignation in Dehradun on Tuesday.(PTI)

While there is speculation that Rawat was nudged to submit his resignation following unrest in the party unit in the state that goes to polls in 2022, the BJP central leadership wants to downplay his removal from the top job.

Gautam, who was one of the central observers sent to Uttarakhand last week, asserted that the change in the leadership in the state should not be read as an indication of his failure as an administrator.

“The party decides who will work where. In his case, since he has the experience and has worked at the Center before, the party thought it would be more beneficial for the party to have him work at the central level,” Gautam said.

Though media reports suggest that Gautam, along with the other observers such as BJP vice president Raman Singh, had heard the grievances of the party MLAs and other functionaries in Uttarakhand. Gautam denied that there was any anger against the CM.

“In an election year, expectations are high as are aspirations. There is no anger against the CM; he did good work and even during the corona pandemic he ensured administrative work did not suffer,” Gautam said.

Rawat's inability to forge relations with the cadre in the state unit and address the concerns of the legislators were cited as the reasons why he could not retain his job. The slow pace of work, especially when the state was preparing for the upcoming Kumbh was also listed as a reason for discontent.

According to a senior party functionary, Rawat was seen to be a centre’s appointee who did not have the support of a majority of the party. What exacerbated the friction between him and the state unit was his style of functioning, his frequent visits to the capital and the decision to set up a new division in Gairsain, the summer capital of Uttarakhand.

“There are several instances of friction between the state units and the CM. But in this case, he could not make peace,” said the functionary.

A former RSS Pracharak, Rawat has served as the state unit chief in Uttarakhand and as the state agriculture minister.