'People in border states don't give fractured mandates,': Harish Rawat

In an exclusive interview with Sources, Harish Rawat, the former Punjab Congress chief, exuded confidence, saying that people will "strongly" vote for his party in the Punjab election on February 20, and that "Punjabis will not go for an experiment." 

With only two days to the 70-seat Assembly election in Uttarakhand, Rawat declared that the Congress is "winning Uttarakhand with at least 48 seats," and that the party will also gain the majority in Punjab.

The Congress in Punjab has had a difficult few months, with an apparent rift between Pradesh Congress Committee Chief Navjot Singh Sidhu and Amarinder Singh, who eventually resigned as chief minister and the party, and Charanjit Singh Channi was appointed to the top position. Harish Rawat was the party's state in charge at this time. "All is okay within the Congress in Punjab," Rawat said, as he asserted at the time.

As Congress leader Rahul Gandhi declared Channi as the chief ministerial candidate in Punjab last week, Rawat stated, “Channi is a very prospective candidate. In his tenure of the 111 days as the Punjab CM, he has made an example for other CMs. He rose to prominence as an ordinary man's CM. People thought he was their personal CM. Punjab will undoubtedly vote to re-elect him as Chief Minister."

"There are no issues between Sidhu and Channi, they are working for the same party," Rawat replied when asked about the reported cold war between Sidhu and Channi. The president is one, and the chief of staff is another." 

Sidhu has not personally commented on Channi, but his wife, Navjot Kaur, a politician, and his daughter, Rabia Sidhu, have openly expressed their disgust.

Rawat, on the other hand, claimed that Sidhu backs Channi. "Sidhu is the president of the PCC." If the Congress elects him to the presidency, he will have more opportunities in the future. Rawat explained, "Sidhu would be proud, and the Congress party will recognise this.""In 2002, the Congress formed a government under my supervision, and it is still working for me in politics," Rawat remarked.

‘ED Raids Have Become the Norm’

The opposition has been targeting the chief minister and the Congress in Punjab in regard to the raids on his nephew, with the Congress portraying Channi as the "common man's CM" who rose from adversity. 

"The ED (Enforcement Directorate) raids have become the standard wherever there is opposition to the BJP," Rawat responded. There is no sense of protest if there is no raid. ED raids are not taken seriously by anyone. People have also realised that if they do not follow the BJP's stance, they will be prosecuted by the ED."

"People vote for the party," Rawat remarked of infighting and candidates fielding relatives against the Congress. The Congress will succeed in persuading these candidates to withdraw until the last possible moment. Even if the mandate is not in favour of the Congress, it will be. In a border state, people don't vote for a splintered mandate."

‘Akali-AAP Clash will Favour Us’

"Akalis have sought to concentrate their vote," Rawat said when asked who the primary contender in Punjab is. "But I think Akalis and AAP will clash, and the Congress will gain further from it." There is no adult leadership in the AAP (Aam Aadmi Party). They have temperamental leadership that is unfit for any country. There are numerous politically experienced members of Congress. Rawat remarked, "Punjab will vote for stability."

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