ND Tiwari joins BJP for son’s sake, Cong jolted

SMA Kazmi

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, January 18

Veteran Congress leader ND Tiwari along with his son Rohit Shekhar joining the BJP in the presence of BJP president Amit Shah in New Delhi today is a major jolt to the Uttarakhand Congress before the crucial Assembly elections on February 15.

The exit of ND TIwari from the Congress also indicates a paradigm shift in the internal dynamics of the Uttarakhand Congress and also marks the culmination of more than three-decade old political rivalry which started in Uttar Pradesh between the senior Congress leader and present Chief Minister Harish Rawat. Interestingly, all senior Congress leaders, who owe their allegiance to Tiwari, have already crossed over to the BJP, except state Finance Minister Indira Hridayesh. Now, with ND Tiwari himself in the BJP, his entire group which he led since the inception of Uttarakhand, will be making a new beginning in the saffron party.

The 91-year-old veteran politician, who has not been keeping well for sometime, took the decision to launch the political career of his son Rohit Shekhar. The father-son duo tried utmost to secure a Congress ticket from the Lal Kuan Assembly segment. They had met Congress president Sonia Gandhi for that. However, with Chief Minister Harish Rawat calling the shots in Uttarakhand Congress, they were unsure about getting party nomination and decided to jump the fence. Rohit Shekhar, who was united with his father after a long paternity legal battle, is keen to inherit the political legacy of the veteran leader.

The Congress had tried to placate the Tiwari by giving an “insignificant” post to Rohit Shekhar, but to no avail.

Most of Tiwari’s supporters in the state Congress have already left the party. The first to go was former Union minister Satpal Maharaj, who left the party as soon Harish Rawat was made Chief Minister in February 2014, ahead of the May 2014 Lok Sabha poll. Another strong Tiwari’s supporter Vijay Bahuguna, along with nine other Congress legislators left the party in March 2016 in a bid to topple the Harish Rawat government.

Another ardent supporter of Tiwari and Dalit leader, Yashpal Arya, also joined the BJP a day before. Only Indira Hridayesh of the Tiwari camp is left in the Congress.

It is believed that Rohit Shekhar would be pitted against Hridayesh from the Haldwani Assembly segment. Tiwari has influence in Terai for his efforts to develop the region during his stint as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and in developing industrial estates at Rudrapur as the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand that brought employment and prosperity in the region. He also has clout amongst the Brahmin community of Kumaon hills. None can vouch for this other than Chief Minister Harish Rawat who himself lost consecutive elections from Kumaon from 1991 till 2004 due to opposition by Tiwari.

ND Tiwari had been thrice Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh (1976–77, 1984–85, 1988–89). He headed the first elected government of Uttarakhand as Chief Minister (2002–2007). He also served as Union Finance Minister and External Affairs Minister. He was the Governor of Andhra Pradesh from 2007 till 2009 and had to resign following a sex scandal.