'He has not resigned': Uttarakhand BJP chief on Minister Harak Singh's resignation

Dehradun (Uttarakhand): Uttarakhand Forest Minister Harak Singh Rawat stormed out of the Cabinet meeting at the Secretariat on Friday in a rather dramatic manner triggering speculations that he had resigned both as BJP member and minister.

BJP state president Madan Kaushik, however, denied having any information about Rawat's resignation even as sources said the matter had been resolved and there was no resignation from Rawat. In the reports released later by news sources, Kaushik confirmed that 'All is Well' in Uttarakhand BJP, and the issue has been resolved after Rawat's demands were discussed and accepted by the cabinet. He affirmed that Rawat's demands are justified and that he is fighting rightly for the people of the region.

Harak Singh Rawat has allegedly been at loggerheads with the other cabinet ministers in his party recently, specifically on the issue of the Kotdwar Medical College. The Cabinet Minister had expressed displeasure over the decision of holding the release of Rs 5 crore in the cabinet to build a medical college in Kotdwar. Now, as Mohan Kaushik confirmed, talks regarding his demands will be held with the Center on Monday and there will be a reconsideration to increase this amount to Rs. 5 crore at the state level as well.

The overall ruckus has, however, led to speculations of his resignation from the post as well as the party. If the sources are to be believed, there is a possibility that Harak Singh Rawat may be planning to join Congress. Earlier, Congress had said that Uttarakhand Minister Harak Singh Rawat is in touch with Congress and is likely to join the party, as informed by the sources. Rawat has also reportedly had several meetings with Congress MLA Pritam Singh in the recent past.

Before joining BJP, Harak Singh Rawat raised a banner of revolt against the Congress high command in 2016 while he was a member of the party. For the past few months, he hasn't maintained a cordial relationship with the party leaders, for which he was summoned to Delhi.