Why was Trivendra Singh Rawat asked to resign from the post of CM of Uttarakhand?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah were known to return to the state units of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), pressure from public opinion, and even the chief ministers appointed by them despite their displeasure with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak. is. Union (RSS). The case of former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, who was asked to step down by party chief JP Nadda on Tuesday, is therefore a close examination.

Controversial decision

Mr. Rawat had a perfect storm to go among legislators and party workers for reasons other than his own high unpopularity, which he found unresponsive to his concerns and unwilling to address them.

Two major decisions of the Rawat government and one corruption case killed his government. The Char Dham Devasthanam Management Bill, which had 51 pilgrimage sites including Badrinath, Kedarnath, Yamunotri and Gangotri under the control of the state government, was one of the major reasons with a limited role for the management of these shrines so far. . The bill was approved by Governor Baby Rani Maurya in January. Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh pracharak Shri Rawat set aside his own ideological mothership on the issue and a throng of Vishwa Hindu Parishad, RSS created a stir when the decision was not taken in April. Some employees in these temples were openly celebrating Shri Rawat’s birth anniversary on Tuesday with firecrackers and prayers.

Another administrative act, which influenced the BJP state unit and introduced political census, established the Garhsain Commissionerate, adding districts from both the Garhwal and Kumaon regions to this new administrative unit. Garhwal has traditionally gone with the BJP while Kumaon has been difficult for the party, but the Badrinath and Kedarnath sub-divisions joining the commissary from Garhwal meant that this stronghold would fall in the upcoming elections in February as well. State leaders alleged that no one was consulted before these decisions, while party leaders were left to public displeasure and political vengeance. A senior leader said, “Even when we raised this issue, there was no hearing in the Chief Minister’s Office.”

After the slow progress of the centrally funded Chardham Yatra projects, Mr. Modi added to this reputation of administrative stupidity and lethargy.

Corruption case

A corruption case against Mr. Rawat filed in the state on charges of financial irregularities by journalist Umesh Sharma went to the High Court, which ordered a CBI inquiry in October last year. The case alleged that Mr. Rawat had funds in the accounts of his relatives to get a special candidate appointed as Gau Seva Yoga of Jharkhand while he was in charge of the state as BJP leader in 2016. The Supreme Court later made an order stay on lodging an FIR against Mr. Rawat, but the case is being heard on Wednesday. Any holiday of migration would have destabilized the continuity of Mr. Rawat.

Election factor

This was due to a series of inability or unwillingness to remove Mr. Rawat from the post and to take the state unit along. Whether his expulsion will help the BJP in its efforts to get re-elected in the state in February or not, but the BJP high command’s desire to get him closer to the polls – in Jharkhand in similar circumstances – did not do so – shows that rivals Some lessons have been learned on the importance of a united home in coping with.