Dehradun , March 15
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna today told The Tribune that his name as the CLP leader was proposed by none other than the Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Processing, Harish Rawat.

The Chief Minister accused Rawat of going back on his word and said that the commitment given by Rawat could be confirmed with the Union Health Minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad, in whose presence it was apparently given.

“Every politician has ambitions but these should not be at the cost of party,” Bahuguna added.

Rawat has been sulking ever since Bahuguna was sworn in as the CM on Monday evening. And as many as 17 Congress MLAs, said to be with him in the national capital, failed to turn up here today to take oath as members of the newly constituted Assembly, fuelling speculation about their intention.

Bahuguna pointed out that the Congress Legislature Party had passed a resolution authorising party President Sonia Gandhi to nominate the Chief Minister. He wondered whether Rawat would have opposed the decision if the party had appointed any other leader in his place.

“It was the collective leadership of the party led by Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi that brought back Congress to power and personal ambition should not harm the party,” said Vijay Bahuguna, adding for good measure, “I am not a novice and I have been in politics for the past nineteen years”.

He hoped that the crisis would be resolved soon and claimed that several legislators, who were reportedly in the Rawat camp were in touch with him. “We will have a cabinet before March 26,” he asserted.