Observing that in the past one-and-a-half months the state suffered losses, Rawat said, "What ends well remains well. And from here, making a new start will be beneficial for the state."
Former Chief Minister Harish Rawat after the end of crucial Uttarakhand Assembly floor test, at party office in Dehradun on Tuesday. (Source: PTI)
Set to return as Chief Minister after one-and-a-half months of dramatic twists and turns, Harish Rawat on Wednesday said the judiciary has restored the faith of people in democracy in Uttarakhand even as he pledged to start afresh forgetting the “bad patch” to take the state forward.
Rawat, who thanked Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and other party leader for lending support, said the state would need active support of the central government and that he would meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.
The judiciary has restored the faith of the people in democracy, he said, stressing that the state will start a “new chapter” by forgetting the past experience.
“Judiciary in a way came forward as an adjudicator of constitutional and democractic values. From the Supreme Court to the High Court, I want to thank the judiciary. With this, the trust of people in the constitutional set up has increased further,” Rawat told reporters here.
Observing that in the past one-and-a-half months the state suffered losses, Rawat said, “What ends well remains well. And from here, making a new start will be beneficial for the state.”
He said, “It will be beneficial for the state if we think all this as a bad patch or a troubled patch and forget it and think of the way forward. I want to thank the Attorney General and the central government for showing magnanimity and telling the court that they are going to withdraw President’s rule.
“We believe that after all the other sad chapters and questions (that have arisen out of this episode), the central government will come out with solutions,” he said.
Noting that the state needs “active support” of the central government, Rawat said that he would meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.
He said Sonia Gandhi, Rahul initiated the ‘save democracy’ campaign to give a lead to democratic forces, other political parties and the people who gave moral support.
“I want to thank Mayawati for supporting us. The people who supported us are very precious for me. When I go there (to Delhi), I will also meet the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister and will tell them that the state of Uttarakhand needs your support,” Rawat said.
BJP, however, lashed out at Congress and Rahul Gandhi, saying he should not give sermons as his party has “murdered” democracy by “paying off” legislators and has “lost” the confidence of the people of the state.
“Congress, which is a murderer of democracy, is undemocratic and is a champion of corruption, should not give sermons to BJP on democracy. Congress has lost the confidence of people of Uttarakhand by purchasing the majority in the state assembly,” BJP national secretary Shrikant Sharma alleged.
He said Congress has not just lost its MLAs, but also the confidence of the people of the state, who will give a “befitting” reply to it in the next assembly elections slated a few months away.
“The people will give a befitting reply to Congress for the insult heaped on them,” he told reporters.
