Just like the cancellation of the char dham yatra, the “Tirath Yatra” came to an unceremonious end in barely four months. Uttarakhand CM Tirath Singh Rawat resigned and Pushkar Singh Dhami is the new CM.
Now the question is, why is the party that has set out to conquer the world unable to handle the 'valley of gods'? What does Tirath Singh Rawat’s departure mean for Uttarakhand and the BJP?
It will probably be said that in order for Rawat to retain the position, he needed to be elected into the Assembly within six months of appointment. Those six months end in September. The challenge is that the Election Commission has suspended all elections due to the pandemic and by-elections can not be held in a state where assembly elections are just less than a year ahead. So, Rawat had to go.
This is, however, just an excuse. The central government could have done something to avert a constitutional crisis in the state. A special request could have been made to the Election Commission.
Understand the Chronology
Before Tirath there was Trivendra. He wanted to implement rules to manage the pandemic during the Maha Kumbh. Protests were already going on in the tiny state, but BJP was worried about the larger vote-bank. So, Trivendra was sacrificed. Tirath took over and said anyone can come to the Kumbh, and however they wanted. No restrictions at all. He was an instant hit.
As soon as Tirath Singh Rawat became the Chief Minister, the grand event of Kumbh was announced. He ignored all the guidelines drafted barely two months back. The state invited people from across the country and the world to come take a dip in the Ganges during the Kumbh without any restrictions.
Rawat even tried to abolish the requirement for a corona negative RTPCR report during Kumbh. Fortunately, the judiciary stepped in and may have saved many lives. The High Court issued a strong reprimand and pumped brakes on this decision.
Despite the havoc of the second wave, Rawat was adamant on completing the Kumbh. He even stated that “Ganga’s blessings will ensure no one gets Corona at the Kumbh". Now it is known that more than one lakh fake tests were conducted during the Kumbh. There is no doubt that the Kumbh was a COVID-19 super-spreader event in not just Uttarakhand, but had ramifications for other states as well.
Disaster and Damage Control in Uttarakhand
Then came Rawat’s statement, “what sanskar can mothers wearing torn jeans teach their children?” Another gem was the comment that if you want more ration, have 20 kids.
Following this was his pronouncement about India having been enslaved by America for 200 years. There was widespread condemnation. Such a 'backward' CM of such a 'progressive' PM.
The people of Uttarakhand also understand just how bad this is. Elections are coming up in a few months. In response to the mess Tirath has created, the people of Uttrakhand can very possibly clear out BJP as well. So maybe his removal is a move towards rectification?
But the real question is, whose mistake was Tirath Rawat? Who put him on the throne?
Whose Mistake was Rawat? Will it be Repeated?
Tirath Rawat had not become CM by winning any election on his own strength. Was all this happening without Modi's consent, whom Rawat had given the status of God? After all, a power shuffle in Uttarakhand would not have happened without the blessing of the high command.
There’s also the question of what was the need for the rectification of this mistake—and why the hurry? Those who had started out aiming to have the entire country in their fist are unable to control this tiny spot? Sangh’s very own Tirath is also being forced to go.
So much infighting, so much fear in Uttarakhand?
Unbelievable!
Who is the owner of Uttarakhand? Uttarakhand's mountains or the Raisina Hill? Third CM within six months. If this is not meddling with the state's affairs, then what is?
Undemocratic?
The other question is whether Pushkar Singh Dhami will make voters forget mistakes of Tirath, that too in such a short time?
Unlikely.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)