A welcome ceremony was organised for all rebel Congress legislators after they joined the BJP on May 18 at the party headquarters in Dehradun on Sunday, May 22, 2016. (PTI photo)
The rebel Congress legislators who recently joined BJP launched a blistering attack on Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat today, accusing him of tarnishing the state's image by "encouraging" the mining and liquor mafia.
"On the one hand they say they are victimised by the central government and on the other hand they encourage mining and liquor mafia in the state," said former chief minister and one of the rebel legislators Vijay Bahuguna, accusing Mr Rawat of adopting double standards.
Mr Bahuguna was speaking at a welcome ceremony organised for all rebel Congress legislators, after they joined the BJP on May 18, at the party headquarters in Dehradun.
"We took this step after all limits were crossed. A chief minister does not owe his allegiance to a particular party but to the state he has been elected for. Rawat has become an obstacle in state's development due to his narrow minded approach and we feel that it is more of a disaster in the chief minister's office than progress," said Mr Bahuguna.
Also present on the occasion, former state agriculture minister Harak Singh Rawat raised questions over Mr Rawat's decisions regarding the liquor and mining affairs in the state. He targeted the chief minister for his alleged role in promoting a particular brand of liquor after which its sale figures rose meteorically.
"I pledge to make Uttarakhand mafia-free. We will not allow the sale of any kind of hooch in the state," he said.
State BJP president Ajay Bhatt and former chief minister Ramesh Pokhriyal welcomed them to the party and assured them of a united effort to wipe out the Congress in next year Assembly elections.
Barring Amrita Rawat, all eight Congress rebel legislators were present on the occasion.