'BJP tactics-Saam, Daam, Dand, Bhed'

Cong severely crippled by I-T dept's action on its accounts, says former U'khand CM and Union minister Harish Rawat

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HARISH Rawat is often described as the patriarch of Uttarakhand politics.

With six decades of experience in politics as a Congress leader a block pramukh to chief minister and a Union minister- he knows the political pulse of the state.

While it remains to be seen how the Congress will perform in the elections due in the state on April 19, Rawat candidly spoke to Narendra Sethi on a range of issues affecting his party and the state. Excerpts:

How do you see a series of defections by Congress leaders in Uttarakhand? 

BJP is working on three fronts in these elections. One is luring the adversaries by money and position; second is misusing government machinery and the third is pressure tactics. Let me tell you about a very big leader who illegally built a resort on the land of 52 Nali Gram Sabha during the Congress rule. Today his farmhouse is in the 'danger zone', so he was forced to join the BJP.

I received a call from a former state minister that he was offered 10 crore. There are individuals and leaders whose businesses are being affected and they are unable to sustain themselves, so they are reluctantly joining the BJP.

What is driving this significant migration?