E-Paper
Uttarakhand: Forget past and begin a new chapter, Harish Rawat tells BJP
The Congress government won the trust vote in the Uttarakhand assembly, the Supreme Court declared on Wednesday, clearing the decks for the reinstatement of Harish Rawat as chief minister of the hill state.
Congress leader Harish Rawat, set to return as the Uttarakhand chief minister, on Wednesday said he had no acrimony with the central government and will need its support for the state’s progress.
“It has been a tense period, a period of uncertainty and the state suffered losses. But all is well that ends well,” Rawat told reporters after the central government told the Supreme Court that it was revoking President’s Rule from the state.
“It is a closed chapter now,” he said, referring to the events since March 27 when the central government dismissed him as the chief minister citing poor governance.
The Congress government won the trust vote in the Uttarakhand assembly, the Supreme Court declared on Wednesday, clearing the decks for the reinstatement of Harish Rawat as chief minister of the hill state.
Read | Harish Rawat back as Uttarakhand CM, Cong says ‘hope PM learnt a lesson’
Rawat said the BJP-led central government and Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi “showed magnanimity” by informing the Supreme Court about the decision to withdraw President’s Rule and restore his government.
“We need the central government’s support. We are a small state but our ambitions are big,” a beaming Rawat said.
He also exhorted the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to forget the past experience and begin a new chapter.
He, however, made it clear that he was yet to be the chief minister again because the union cabinet had not recommended revocation of President’s Rule.
Rawat thanked “everybody” including his “past and present supporters” after the “historic conclusion” of the more than 45-day long legal battle that culminated in a floor test on Tuesday.
He said the Supreme Court decision to allow him to prove his legislative majority had “strengthened people’s faith in Indian judiciary and constitutional values”.
