Would sting operations be the basis on which President’s rule is imposed in the country now?'

'Would sting operations be the basis on which President’s rule is imposed in the country now?'
Barely hours after his cavalcade was attacked in Dehradun on Saturday by BJP supporters raising black flags, former chief minister Harish Rawat, in a candid conversation with Atul Sethi & Darshan Kunwar, described the situation in Dehradun as "explosive". Alleging that BJP leaders were out on Dehradun’s streets “with moneybags” to lure his MLAs, the former CM, in a free-ranging interview at his residence, spoke at length about various issues like the CD sting, how he had anticipated dissent among 3-4 of his MLAs but was shocked at more joining them, and that he was ready to go to jail in the CD episode if proven guilty.
The way nine MLAs defected from your party, were surprised, or had you anticipated it?
I had an inkling that 3-4 of my MLAs were nursing some political ambitions which weren’t getting fulfilled.One of them used to say that I will never become chief minister if I remain in Congress…
Are you referring to Harak Singh Rawat?
Yes, everybody knows who was saying such things. Then there was Vijay Bahuguna who has always given money more importance than any other thing. These two were the focal point of the revolt. With active money support from the BJP along with muscle power and Centre’s patronage, they were able to pull more of our MLAs whom I was not anticipating will join them.
Would you still consider taking them back in the party?
They are rotten eggs now. They have not just backstabbed the party but the entire state. How can we talk to them now? The only good thing is that they have made me battle –fit. In the normal course, I might have hung my boots in the next 4-5 years, but I am raring to take on my opponents now for the next 8-10 years. Let me also tell you, I tried my best to persuade Vijay Bahuguna not to go. Before this entire thing happened, he kept on telling me, “Brother, we will sit together on March 21 after the budget session and sort out everything.” Then when tension started mounting on March 17 and 18, he again told me, “Brother, I have spoken with Ghulam Nabi (Azad) and everything is settled now.” That was why, I was surprised at the sudden turn of events. Evidently, much more was going on behind the scenes, and big money had exchanged hands.
Do you feel that the central Congress leadership didn’t support you as much as it could have during this crisis?
I have the full support of the party. I will go to Delhi soon to meet Soniaji (Sonia Gandhi) and talk to her in detail about the situation. At present, developments are taking place here in Dehradun very rapidly. BJP is trying to exploit President’s rule. They are openly saying we will engineer defection within the Congress. They are out with their moneybags with the single purpose of buying our MLAs by hook or by crook. I have information that they have earmarked more than Rs 100 crore for this.
Isn’t it a reflection on the morality of the MLAs if they are willing to be influenced? How long will you keep on shifting legislators from Corbett to Himachal or other places to safeguard them?
I am confident about the integrity of our MLAs. Those who could be lured have already gone. Some of our present MLAs, too, I am told, had been offered money but they refused. But the way BJP is putting pressure and using all kinds of tactics shows that their central leadership is simply trying to take advantage of the situation.
Do you think that the CD episode has dented your credibility?
I have been in politics for a long time – almost 50 years. I have reached where I am through my hard work. These things cannot tarnish the image that I have earned after working amongst people. I have been saying time and again that the CD is doctored. Media is being shown just a small portion of the CD. Why haven’t they issued the whole CD? People will then realize the whole truth. If after that, I am found guilty, I am ready to go to jail.
Are you going to press defamation charges against those who made the CD, or ask for a CBI probe?
It is upto the people of Uttarakhand to decide what is right or wrong. I will just say that some of the things that I am supposedly saying in the CD are laughable, which no person will believe. Is there a chief minister who will say that he doesn’t even have Rs 5 crore to save his government?
What do you have to say about reports of the CD having been found genuine in forensic tests?
It is indeed a miracle that in one day, they found out whether the CD was genuine or not. Even if the Chinese army was standing on our borders, the Modi government would not have acted with such speed as they did in getting the CD made, getting it tested, proclaimed its genuineness, and used it to recommend implementation of President’s rule in Uttarakhand. I just want to ask the people of the country just one thing -- will sting operations now be the basis on which President’s rule is imposed? If that is so, no state government can survive in this country for more than 3-4 months as the easiest thing would be to get a sting operation done to dismiss a democratically-elected government.