Harish Rawat summoned to Delhi amid Uttarakhand Congress internal dispute

The Indian National Congress high command has objected to a proposed ‘Dhanyawad evam Jan Samvad Yatra’ in Uttarakhand by former Chief Minister Harish Rawat. Uttarakhand Congress in-charge Kumari Selja issued a letter to Rawat, stating that the yatra was organized without prior discussion with her or the Pradesh Congress Committee president. Selja emphasized the need for party unity ahead of the upcoming state Assembly elections, noting that parallel programs are not in the party’s interest.

In response to the internal friction, Congress General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal has summoned Rawat to Delhi to discuss party unity. This tension follows recent scrutiny of Rawat, who has characterized summons from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) as a result of ‘electoral anxiety’ and ‘the arrogance of power’ by the BJP. The ED has been investigating alleged irregularities in a 2016 examination, which included searches at the premises of Rawat’s personal assistant.

Separately, the NSUI has suspended five officials in Chamoli following instances of rebellion during student union elections.