DEHRADUN: The Congress’ efforts to bury internal differences after its dismal performance in the Uttarakhand Assembly elections seem to be collapsing. The Assembly recruitment scam have refuelled infighting in the party. State Congress president Karan Mahara and ex-leader of Opposition Pritam Singh have begun to trade charges, with the former saying that appointments made during the tenure of the BJP, as well as the Congress, be probed.
However, the two leaders have also been targeting the Pushkar Singh Dhami-led government. While the Congress had earlier sought a CBI probe, Mahara now says that a high court judge should investigate the scam since an inquiry committee comprising former IAS officers cannot examine the legislature’s decisions.
Also facing allegations are former Assembly Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal and Yashpal Arya. As many as 105 people were appointed when Arya was the speaker from 2002 to 2007. He was in Congress at that time, and later enjoyed a ‘political cruise’ in the BJP from 2017 to 2022. On the other hand, Kunjwal employed 150 people from 2012 to 2017, including his relatives, allegedly through the back door. The inquiry committee is examining all the 480 appointments made over 22 years.
The state Congress has also seen a major reshuffle in recent months. While Mahara took over as the Uttarakhand party president, Arya, who returned to the Congress, became the leader of the Opposition, replacing Pritam Singh. Although Singh retained his Chakrata seat, he has been kept away from any major responsibility by the party.