At the AICC briefing, state Congress chief Kishore Upadhyay launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP president accusing them of hatching a conspiracy to destabilise the state government which, he claimed, "enjoys majority".
"It is all the job of the externed Amit Shah and his dirty tricks department," he said, alleging that after destabilising Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand has come on the radar of the ruling party at the Centre.
Upadhyay also claimed he was in touch with six of the nine rebel MLAs but refused to divulge the names.
Asked whether the Congress is ready to "forgive and forget" if the rebels express willingness to return, he said, "In a family, if someone parts ways by resorting to some wrong steps, he could be taken back on merit."
Hitting out at former Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna and former CLP leader Harak Singh Rawat, he said they have "back-stabbed the party which has given them everything".
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Uttarakhand Congress chief Upadhyay said the party "fully stands by" the Chief Minister, describing the sting video against him as part of a "conspiracy" hatched by Modi and Shah to "malign" the non-BJP government in the state.
"The Chief Minister has clarified his position on the sting CD and the party fully stands by him. It is a result of the plot hatched by Narendra Modi and Amit Shah for dislodging non-BJP governments everywhere. This will cost the BJP dearly not just in the politics of Uttarakhand but throughout the country," he said in a statement in Dehradun.
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