New Delhi: Days after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Trivendra Singh Rawat created a political stir in Uttarakhand after raising the issue of “illegal mining” in the state, the former chief minister said he had no ambition to become the CM again and that the comment was not aimed at anyone specifically.
While speaking in Parliament Friday, Rawat alleged that illegal mining was being carried out across Uttarakhand, including in his constituency of Haridwar. Uttarakhand Mining Secretary Brajesh Kumar Sant, a Dalit IAS officer, denied his allegations. Reacting to this, Rawat added further fuel to the controversy by saying that “lions don’t hunt dogs”.
However, while speaking to the media Sunday in Dehradun, Rawat said his statement was not aimed at anyone in particular. “Some people took my statement personally. But my concern is about the environment and the lives of common people.”
“It is a good thing that the state’s mining revenue has increased but pointed out that care should be taken to ensure the environment is protected.” He further denied that wanted to become the CM since he had become an MP now. “I’m in Parliament now, I don’t have to become the CM. I don’t have to come to the state, I am in Delhi. Mai toh sagar mai chala gaya hu (I have gone to the sea). This does not concern me.”
Adding that he has “nurtured” the party with his “blood” and “youth”, he said, “Why would I want the government to be unstable?”
The incident has once again laid bare the differences in the state BJP unit and, according to sources in Uttarakhand BJP, as the issue unfolded, the central party leadership asked the state unit to look into the matter immediately. A senior BJP leader told ThePrint, “Rawat ji has clarified his statement that while his concerns are valid, he was not trying to target his own government in Uttarakhand. At the same time, he has made it clear that he had not targeted any specific officer.”
The BJP leader added, “The Opposition would have used it to make it into an issue of a Dalit officer being targeted, and hence it was important to issue this clarification.”
However, state BJP leaders are split between those endorsing Rawat’s view and those criticising him. For instance, Lalkuan MLA Naveen Chandra defended Rawat and criticised the functioning of the mining department, while state BJP president Mahendra Bhatt backed the government of CM Pushkar Singh Dhami.
Speaking to the media, Bhatt highlighted that there was qualitative improvement in the mining revenue, and said that this indicated that illegal mining has been curbed in the state.
MLA Kishore Upadhyay, on the other hand, advocated against making such allegations and advised people to mind their own affairs.
Speaking on the controversy, a state BJP functionary told ThePrint, “Elections of course are two years away but politics never stops. There are so many instances of chief ministers not completing their tenure.” The next elections in the state will take place in 2027.
He added that while “CM Dhami enjoys the support of a number of MLAs, such matters highlight that party leaders will continue to throw their hat in the ring (chief ministership). It is a very small state, but when it comes to politics, it is one of the biggest.”
According to Mining Secretary Sant, since the formation of the state in 2002, mining revenue had never crossed Rs 200 crore. But under the Dhami government, this occurred in the 2023-24 financial year. Reacting to this, Rawat Sunday said, “I had raised the issue of illegal mining in Uttarakhand and not (the issue of) mining (in general) in the House.”
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Rawat’s attacks on Dhami govt
This is not the first time that Rawat has raised concerns over the functioning of the Dhami government. In September last year, Rawat, along with a few other senior BJP leaders, raised concerns over the performance of the Uttarakhand Police.
At the same time, he was also at the forefront of those seeking an enquiry into allegations that South Africa-based businessmen, the Gupta brothers, had conspired to destabilise the Dhami government with a bribe of Rs 500 crore.
Rawat called on the government to thoroughly investigate the allegations after they were raised by independent MLA Umesh Kumar in the Uttarakhand Assembly.
Prior to that, in November 2022, Rawat had also criticised the “slow pace” of the Dehradun Smart City project, leading him to meet with BJP president J.P. Nadda to offer an explanation in the matter.
A senior party leader who did not wish to be named defended Rawat, “There are genuine concerns and Trivendra ji has highlighted those. He is being targeted needlessly. The Dhami government has been taking many such decisions which are being criticised by the public and it is important that some stocktaking is carried out as it is our devbhoomi.”
The Dhami government had reversed a number of decisions that were undertaken by Rawat during his tenure as CM. For instance, facing criticism, the Dhami government had repealed the Uttarakhand Char Dham Devasthanam Management Act, directed at rejuvenating the Char Dham Hindu pilgrimage sites. The Rawat government had enacted the law in December 2019 and notified it on 15 January 2020.
Rawat was replaced as the Uttarakhand CM in 2021 after, according to sources, many within Uttarakhand BJP and a few MLAs raised concerns over the state of affairs in Uttarakhand, terming his leadership “uninspiring”.
A few had also raised concerns over his style of functioning.
Meanwhile, Rawat’s remarks gave enough fodder to Congress to target the state government. The state Congress chief, Karan Mahara, posted Rawat’s Parliament speech on social media and criticised the BJP-led state government for allegedly ignoring the issue.
(Edited by Sanya Mathur)
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