'Stung' Harish Rawat left with no choice but horse trading: BJP

Rawat has been faced with the hurdle of a fresh sting video just days before the crucial floor test in Uttarakhand

A day after a fresh sting video brought in more inconvenience and difficulties for Harish Rawat, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday alleged that ousted Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat, who has lost the trust and faith of his MLAs, is left with no other option but to indulge in horse trading.

"Why would the BJP conduct a sting operation of Harish Rawat? His MLAs are themselves not satisfied with him. Almost one-third of his party MLAs have left him and one-third more are ready to leave. This only shows that he is indulging in horse trading, as his own MLAs don't trust him," BJP leader Bhagat Singh Koshiyari said.

"It is very unfortunate that such a grand old party has still not taken any action against Rawat. I think that the Congress wants to destroy itself in Uttarakhand, otherwise they would have taken any action against the ousted chief minister," he added.

Ahead of tomorrow's floor test scheduled to be conducted in the Uttarakhand Assembly, another party member Ramesh Pokhariyal, said that people of the state will not forgive the Congress Party for putting a halt on the development of the state.

"The result will be out before everyone tomorrow after the floor test. But, the Congress is responsible for the present scenario in Uttarakhand. They were not able to run the government properly in the state and were indulging in doing corruption and other wrong activities," Koshiyari said.

Faced with the hurdle of a fresh sting video just days ahead of the crucial floor test in Uttarakhand, Rawat had yesterday alleged that he was being watched and monitored closely, adding that attempts were being made to curb his freedom and privacy.

Addressing a press conference in Dehradun, Rawat asserted that there was a gang operational in full force against the Congress in the state and said that many influential people, including rebel Congress leader Bhupesh Upadhyay, were part of the group.

He added that the entire operation was under the leadership of rebel Congress leader Vijay Bahuguna.

Meanwhile, Rawat, who was summoned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with a sting operation which shows him negotiating a price to lure back the legislators, will not appear before the investigative agency, said former state parliamentary affairs minister Indira Hridayesh.

The Congress party yesterday wrote to Uttarakhand Speaker requesting that Rawat who is scheduled to be in Delhi to be questioned by the CBI should stay in Dehradun till the floor test.

According to reports, the CBI has been able to establish the genuineness of the sting operation after it spoke to an MLA, who stated that when the Finance Bill was discussed in the assembly, Rawat had called him to the office and offered him Rs 2.3 crore and an important post in the government, if he supports him.

Rawat recently admitted to having met the journalist, but denied any wrongdoing.

The investigating agency had registered a preliminary enquiry in the matter last week.

The Union Home Ministry had sent a CD of the video to a forensics laboratory in Chandigarh to have it authenticated.