Tirath yatra ends

IN a damage-control exercise to contain discontent against the then Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat with just a year to go for the Assembly elections, the BJP had sprung a surprise by picking the Lok Sabha MP from Pauri-Garhwal, Tirath Singh Rawat, as his replacement in March. Now, nearly four months into the job, he’s out as well. The prospect of his not being able to fulfil the constitutional requirement of becoming an MLA within six months is being cited as the reason for the state getting its third CM — Pushkar Singh Dhami — within one term. That, however, could just be a convenient alibi for the party high command to spare itself the blushes and correct the mistake of para-dropping an MP, who has proven to be quite an unpopular one, instead of banking on established or promising legislators.

If Tirath Rawat distinguished himself in any way during his 114-day term, it was in generating controversies by the dozen, be it criticising policy decisions of his predecessor, his pronouncements and his remarks — like contending that women wearing ripped jeans send out a wrong message. When several states were exploring containment measures after a surge in Covid-19 cases indicated the beginning of the second wave, he insisted that the Kumbh Mela in Hardwar should be ‘open for all’. The repercussions have been devastating. The fake Covid testing scam during the pilgrimage has harmed the government’s image.

Three CMs in the final year of the term is a huge embarrassment for any party. For the BJP, which prides itself on discipline and timely management, all the more, though it would like to portray its decision as a quick-fix solution to retain power in Uttarakhand, where elections are due early next year. What the state government has done or not done are secondary issues for now. Stemming infighting and presenting a united face have become a far bigger challenge for the ruling party.