By Arun Pratap Singh
Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 28 Jul: Former Chief Minister Harish Rawat’s social media post regarding the famous Bahuguna family in politics has triggered a fresh controversy in Uttarakhand politics. Rawat’s remarks referring to former Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna, who had left the Congress to join the BJP, today drew a sharp response from Cabinet Minister Saurabh Bahuguna. Saurabh said that Harish Rawat is no longer in a position where his words deserve much attention and stressed that Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna’s name should not be dragged into political accusations. He asserted that HN Bahuguna had made a significant contribution to Uttarakhand and national politics and his legacy should be respected.
It may be recalled that in his post on Facebook, Rawat had yesterday written that he had always assessed and calculated that HN Bahuguna’s son would never defect to the BJP, but eventually he did. The comment was a clear reference to Vijay Bahuguna’s departure from the Congress, which had long been a subject of political debate in the state. It may further be recalled that in 2016, during Rawat’s tenure as Chief Minister, Vijay Bahuguna along with several Congress MLAs had quit the Congress and joined the BJP, plunging the then government into a deep crisis. That episode remains a pivotal chapter in Uttarakhand’s political history.
By reviving the issue years later, Rawat yesterday re-ignited political sparring. Saurabh Bahuguna countered that Rawat should confine his comments to appropriate subjects and not involve the name of HN Bahuguna, who is revered as the “Himalaya Putra”. He said Rawat’s remarks are misplaced and disrespectful.
The exchange has once again intensified political rhetoric between the Congress and BJP in Uttarakhand. While Vijay Bahuguna has not yet reacted, it can be stated here that the Bahuguna family has always held a prominent place in the state’s politics. For now, Rawat’s post and Saurabh Bahuguna’s rebuttal have created a new flashpoint in the political discourse of the state.
