In this interview with DH’s Sumit Pande, Harish Rawat claims communal polarisation in Uttar Pradesh is impacting politics in the neighbouring hill state and dubs communal clashes in Haldwani earlier this year as state-sponsored violence.
By Sumit Pande
New Delhi: Former Uttarakhand chief minister and Congress leader Harish Rawat has spent five terms in parliament. This time around, though, he is marshalling resources for his son Virendra, who is contesting from the Haridwar Lok Sabha seat against another former state CM, Trivendra Singh Rawat of the BJP. In this interview with DH’s Sumit Pande, Rawat claims communal polarisation in Uttar Pradesh is impacting politics in the neighbouring hill state and dubs communal clashes in Haldwani earlier this year as state-sponsored violence.
What are the issues Congress is raising in the Lok Sabha polls?
First of all, there is an anti-incumbency against the state government. And secondly, unemployment is emerging as a big issue. In the hilly region of the state, land laws restricting land purchase by outsiders are agitating the minds of the people.
Even when it was part of UP, traditionally, Uttarakhand hasn’t been affected by communal polarisation. But that does not seem to be the case anymore. How do you see the Haldwani communal flare-up?
There was no doubt encroachment there (where the violence broke out). However, it never affected communal harmony. The government deliberately created a situation to trigger a violent incident. It was a state-sponsored violence. You know that people are agitated, but you are starting the demolition without taking the locals into confidence. Had you spoken to those people, the violence could have been avoided. You (the administration) went there without preparation and created a situation that would create unrest.
This story was originally published in deccanherald.com. Read the full story here.