Harak Rawat denies rift with Naithani

Jotirmay Thapliyal

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 18

Uttarakhand Agriculture Minister Harak Singh Rawat today denied having any differences with Education Minister Mantri Prasad Naithani, describing the latter as his close friend and fellow state agitationist.

Harak Singh Rawat was talking to the The Tribune here today in the backdrop of reports of his long turbulent relationship with Education Minister Mantri Prasad Naithani. Rawat said it was being wrongly portrayed in the media that he has a tussle with Mantri Prasad Naithani over the issue of his wife Deepti Rawat’s attachment of Pauri.

“These are all false reports. I keep warm relationship with Education Minister Mantri Prasad Naithani. Both of us have been state agitationists and even our constituencies – Rudraprayag and Deoprayag - share borders and thus there is no question of any rift between us”, Rawat pointed out. He said he kept no ill will against Mantri Prasad Naithani and the issue is being blown out of proportion.

Agriculture Minister Harak Singh Rawat’s statement comes after his wife and Pauri district panchayat president Deepti Rawat, who is an assistant teacher with Girls Inter College, Ballupur, Dehradun, was denied attachment at Pauri education department at the behest of education minister Mantri Prasad Naithani.

Deepti Rawat had recently sought attachment with Pauri in order to take part in the Pauri district panchayat meeting. Even the CM has approved the attachment but Education Minister Mantri Prasad Naithani opposed, it asserting that it was against the rules of the education department.

Responding to a separate query, Harak Singh Rawat even denied that he ever aspired for the post of chief ministership. “Chief Minister Harish Rawat is like my elder brother and so is former CM Vijay Bahuguna. Even as a minister, I consider myself important and thus there is no question of having any ambition of chief ministership,” Harak Singh asserted. He said posts keep no significance for him and that was the reason he took a strong decision while admitting that tough decisions at times were also very unpopular.

Agriculture Minister Rawat also favoured industrial package for Uttarakhand. “ I have always supported industrial package for Uttarakhand and even during UPA rule at Centre, I strongly advocated for such a package for Uttarakhand, taking into account little industries in the state”, he pointed out.