Rawat’s floating!

UTTARAKHAND Chief Minister Harish Rawat has to save his position by all means. Rawat has been systematically demolishing opposition within the party. His targets are Kishore Upadhyay, President of the Pradesh Congress, and Vijay Bahuguna, former Chief Minister of the State. Upadhyay got the first jolt when his name was cleared for the Rajya Sabha seat but in the end a relatively insignificant former President of the Mahila Congress, Manorama, snatched the coveted seat from him. The last blow by Rawat was in the Cabinet reshuffle, when he inducted some Independents in his government, including Dinesh Dhaney, who had defeated Upadhyay in the Assembly elections. To safeguard his position, Rawat is out to woo all the independent MLAs, whether they are arch rivals of the party leadership or not. A neglected Bahuguna is so upset that he has threatened to launch a massive campaign against Rawat. Bahuguna has warned Rawat that only the Chief Minister has changed in the State and not the ruling party. Rawat, in the meantime, sensing the political urgency, has started developing relations with Baba Ramdev. Even BJP leaders are cautious about Rawat’s moves. He seems to have mastered the art of floating when one is on the chair!