‘Rawat’s resignation not enough’: Congress accuses BJP of ‘escape routes’

Devender Yadav, the Congress’ Uttarakhand in-charge, also urged President Ram Nath Kovind to dismiss the state government after Trivendra Singh Rawat resigned as the chief minister on Tuesday evening.

The Congress on Tuesday lashed out at the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Trivendra Singh Rawat after his resignation as Uttarakhand chief minister, calling it an ‘unsuccessful attempt to cover up for corruption and failures’ of the state government in the last four years.

Former Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat (PTI File Photo)

“As we all know, this is the same government against which, just four months ago, the honourable Uttarakhand high court, in an historic order, directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe corruption allegations against then-CM Trivendra Rawat,” Devender Yadav, the Congress’ Uttarakhand in-charge, said at a press conference just hours after the BJP leader’s resignation from the hill state’s top job.

“However, the government, in an irresponsible manner, challenged the order in the Supreme Court and tried to get it stayed,” Yadav added, mentioning several issues over which, he said, the people were questioning the government elected by them.

Last October, the Supreme Court stayed the high court’s order to probe corruption allegations against Rawat.

Remarking that the now-former CM’s resignation was ‘insufficient,’ the Congress leader accused the BJP of trying to find ‘escape routes’ to cover up its failures. “We request the honourable President that the government should be immediately dismissed. The BJP government should resign and go back to people,” Yadav said.

He also termed the BJP government a failure over its handling of February’s flash floods, as well as the situation of the coronavirus pandemic in the northern state. The way Rawat was asked to resign, Yadav said, shows that even the BJP acknowledged that in the last five years, it has not done anything for the people except indulging in corruption.

Trivendra Singh Rawat resigned as Uttarakhand CM hours after arriving in Dehradun from Delhi on Tuesday morning. Rawat met the BJP top brass in the national capital on Monday amid complaints by several Uttarakhand BJP MLAs over his ‘style of governance.’ Addressing a press conference after resigning, he thanked the party for giving him an opportunity to serve as chief minister, adding that his successor would be announced after a BJP legislature party meet at 10am on Wednesday.