Tirath Singh Rawat sworn in as new Uttarakhand CM
DEHRADUN: Tirath Singh Rawat, Lok Sabha member from Pauri Garhwal, on Wednesday took the oath as the 10th chief minister of Uttarakhand, a day after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) decided to replace the incumbent Trivendra Singh Rawat due to growing discontent within the party over his way of functioning.
Tirath, an RSS worker who spent two months in jail for allegedly participating in Babri
Masjid demolition, said that he would decide on his six-member cabinet in a day or two, after being elected as leader of the BJP legislative party in the morning.
“It (cabinet formation) will be done after consulting the central leaders in the next couple of days,” he said.
According to party leaders, Trivendra Singh proposed his name for heading the legislative party after being informed about the party’s decision on Wednesday morning.
After taking the oath in presence of Governor Baby Rani
Maurya, the new CM expressed his gratitude to party central leadership, including PM Narendra Modi, home minister Amit Shah and party national president JP Nadda.
“I am very thankful to the party for giving me this important responsibility. I will work for the state by taking the people along for comprehensive development...,” said Rawat.
After his swearing-in, senior BJP leaders congratulated Rawat and scenes of celebrations were witnessed at many party offices
in the state. Many senior BJP leaders at the national level also congratulated Rawat on social media.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, “Congratulations to Shri @TIRATHSRAWAT on taking oath as the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand. He brings with him vast administrative and organisational experience. I am confident under his leadership the state will continue to scale new heights of progress”.
Rawat will have a tenure of about a year before the next assembly elections in 2022. Considering the recent differences in the party’s state unit, it won’t be an easy one as he would have the challenge to pacify the section of MLAs who had expressed their resentment against former CM Trivendra Singh Rawat leading to his resignation.
Born in Seeron village of Uttarakhand’s Pauri Garhwal district in 1964, Tirath Singh Rawat’s first foray into public life was with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) as its pracharak from 1983 to 1988. A postgraduate in journalism, Rawat became the president of Hemwanti Nandan Garhwal University students union in 1992 and went on to head the state unit of the BJP in February 2013. Rawat had participated in the Ram Janmabhumi agitation and spent two months in jail, said leaders considered close to him. He was elected as a member of Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council in 1997 and when Uttarakhand was carved out of Uttar Pradesh in 2000, he became the first education minister of the newly formed state’s first government.
On opposition against Trivendra Singh, Rawat told reporters that there are no differences in the party. “There is no resentment in the party and all are together to fight the 2022 elections which we are sure to win,” said Rawat.
Party MP from Nainital-US Nagar constituency Ajay Bhatt too refuted the reports of any differences in the party. “Trivendra Singh Rawat himself tendered his resignation and could soon be given a responsibility in the central leadership. As party members we all are in the same boat with no differences.”
BJP lawmaker Vishan Singh Chuphal, who had earlier expressed his unhappiness against Trivendra Singh Rawat’s style of working before the central leadership, said the “change is good for the people of the state.” “The new CM is a softspoken and humble person who will listen to the issues of people in the state which would benefit the party in 2022 elections,” said Chuphal. However, political experts in the state feel that the change in leadership will have no political gains for the BJP in 2022 elections.SMA Qazmi, who has been keeping an eye on the state politics for two decades, said, “Tirath Singh Rawat is a soft spoken and down to earth person with a strong RSS background before coming into BJP. But, as far as any political benefit for the party is concerned, it will have none because 2022 elections would be contested by it on PM Modi’s face only.”
The Opposition Congress, meanwhile, termed the leadership change as an effort by the BJP to “cover up the misrule of Trivendra Singh Rawat in last four years.”