Whodunnit? A ‘fake’ Rahul aide leaves divided Uttarakhand Congress squabbling
A Congress leader files an FIR saying she paid the “swindler” for sake of party; state Congress chief Ganesh Godiyal spots a “conspiracy”
The man, identified as Amritsar-native Gaurav Kumar, has allegedly cheated several leaders across the country under the pretext of securing election tickets or positions in the party for them, police said. (Express Photo) Few in the Congress can put their money on being privy to the high command. That perhaps explains Amritsar native Gaurav Kumar’s alleged success in cheating several Congress leaders across the country for money, posing as Rahul Gandhi’s private secretary. In Uttarakhand, he has got bang for the buck.
Gaurav Kumar’s alleged targeting of Congress leader Bhavna Pandey has set off fingerpointing across the ranks in the party, leading state Congress president Ganesh Godiyal to claim that a conspiracy was underway to replace him.
Amid the open trading of barbs and the earlier announcement of a “sabbatical” by veteran leader Harish Rawat, who has been sidelined within the party, Congress state in-charge Kumari Selja has arrived in Uttarakhand. Officially, Selja is here for a tour of the Garhwal division, but her meetings with Congress leaders and workers are being seen as an effort to settle the latest flare-up in the fractious state unit.
The fast-moving developments were set off by Pandey lodging an FIR on Sunday against Kumar for swindling her by posing as Gandhi’s private secretary. Speaking to reporters the following day, Pandey claimed Kumar told her that the high command did not support Godiyal and thought he was damaging the state Congress’s image, and that he sought Rs 2-3 crore from her to facilitate Godiyal’s removal.
State Congress president Ganesh Godiyal with Rahul Gandhi. (File Photo)
She paid Rs 25 lakh, Pandey admitted, but only “to save the state”.
Next up, Godiyal said he, too, had received a call from Kumar. “He told me I was seen as someone working against party interests. I told him that I should be replaced if that was the case.” Godiyal added that when Kumar went on to say that he had “settled” matters with several leaders, he smelled a rat.
An emotional Godiyal added: “Anyone who wants to improve the party can sit in my chair… The allegations against me are beyond anything I could have imagined.”
Rawat told The Indian Express the incident showed how crime was rising in the BJP-ruled state and denied any political conspiracy. “Police will investigate the case.”
Pandey also alleged that Khanpur Independent MLA Umesh Kumar, who has no love lost with Rawat, had links with Gaurav Kumar. The MLA responded by accusing Pandey of conspiring against her own party leaders.
Congress leader Bhavna Pandey
A former journalist, Umesh Kumar had released a sting video, purportedly showing Rawat discussing exchange of money with then rebel Congress MLA Harak Singh Rawat, for support of MLAs during the 2016 political crisis in the party.
Party leaders despaired over the fresh eruption of tensions between the Godiyal and Harish Rawat camps, with the PCC chief apparently “ignoring” the veteran and leaning on former PCC chief Karan Mahara for advice. Godiyal was earlier considered close to Rawat, but ties between the two soured after Rawat backed Pritam Singh for the PCC chief’s post in August.
Recently, Rawat sought the induction of Sanjay Negi, a former block pramukh from Ramnagar, into the party, but Godiyal opposed it. “At the same time, Godiyal is growing closer to people Rawat opposes… He is trying to rope in Umesh Kumar. Ranjeet Rawat, who had earlier fallen out with Harish Rawat, is also being favoured,” a senior Congress leader said.
Ranjeet Rawat, once considered Harish Rawat’s aide and dubbed the “super CM” for his perceived influence, has also emerged as a dissident voice. The relationship between the two leaders deteriorated after the Congress’s defeat in 2017. In 2021, Ranjeet Rawat sought a ticket for his son for a bypoll but was denied one. In 2022, the two again clashed over a ticket from Ramnagar, with the party denying the seat to both.
Another senior Congress leader said Pandey was simply articulating Harish Rawat’s “frustrations” with the current leadership. “The same factional rivalry that damaged the party in 2022 is being repeated.”
It was in the last reshuffle in the Congress in November that Godiyal was made PCC chief, former state party president and Chakrata MLA Pritam Singh named chairman of the campaign committee, and Harak Singh Rawat appointed head of the election management committee. Notably, there was a limited role for Harish Rawat.
The Congress has now been out of power in Uttarakhand since 2017, and after winning just 19 of 70 Assembly seats in 2022 (later one more in a bypoll), saw its vote share fall and scored a duck in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
With the next state elections now just a year away, senior vice-president Suryakant Dhasmana said the Congress has failed to learn from repeated setbacks. “The party has a difficult road ahead. We also have to tackle the challenges posed by the SIR (Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls). If we claim to be fighting for the people, then the public must see us as organised and united.”
Other leaders too expressed frustration over the Congress “failure” to capitalise on the anti-incumbency against the BJP government over allegations of corruption and misgovernance. “Senior leaders are fighting for positions… Everyone needs to come together, from the top leadership to booth-level workers,” said Harak Singh Rawat, whose own differences with Harish Rawat have been playing out in the open.
Harish Rawat responded saying the BJP too is faction-ridden, and that the Congress resolves differences internally. “We are a democratic party.”
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