New Delhi [India], October 5 : Amid a growing row within the Uttarakhand Congress over former Chief Minister Harish Rawat’s ‘Jan Samvad Yatra’, Congress MP and Uttarakhand in-charge Kumari Selja on Monday said the party has an organisational system that all leaders must follow and stressed that there was no room for any “personal agenda”.
Selja said she had already written to Rawat regarding his yatra and expected him to consider the concerns raised by the party high command, while adding that the former Chief Minister would be given an opportunity to present his side.
“Party programs are going on. In the midst of that, what he did, I have written a letter to him in this context. It is expected that he should think about what the party is saying and what is said by the high command, but he will present his side; we will listen to their side,” Selja said.
“He will present his point now, and then we will see further. What can be my displeasure? The thing is that the party has a system, and I do not have any personal agenda here, nor should anyone else have a personal agenda,” she added.
The remarks came after Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal met Rawat on Monday amid concerns over the former Chief Minister’s separate political programmes in the poll-bound state.
Venugopal subsequently said that Congress campaigns in Uttarakhand would be conducted jointly by all state leaders under the leadership of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi.
“Individual campaigns will not be tolerated by the party, and there must only be collective programs as planned by the party organisation,” Venugopal said in a post on X.
Despite the objections, Rawat continued with his ‘Jan Samvad Yatra’ from Jaspur to Haldwani in the Kumaon region on Monday. The yatra was scheduled to pass through Kashipur, Ramnagar and Kaladhungi before reaching Haldwani.
Speaking in Kashipur, Rawat alleged that the Uttarakhand government was attempting to prevent his yatra from passing through the area.
“Had I known my tour would have this impact, I wouldn't have included Kashipur in the itinerary at all; we would have started from Ramnagar. Now, the local people are facing inconvenience, and the government is so terrified of our tour that it doesn't want to let us pass through Kashipur,” Rawat said.
“I apologise to all my brothers and sisters in Kashipur; next time, we will come without informing the BJP or officially announcing the schedule, so that we can meet our people,” he added.
Uttarakhand Congress in-charge Selja had earlier written to Rawat on October 1, expressing displeasure over his decision to undertake the yatra without discussing it with the party leadership or the Pradesh Congress Committee president.
She had cautioned that a parallel programme would not be in the party’s interest and urged Rawat not to proceed.
Rawat, however, continued to promote the yatra on social media and maintained that his outreach was aimed at reconnecting with people and bringing Congress back to power.
“During this phase of the 'Dhanyawad evam Jansamvad Yatra', there is no stopping now. Rise, move forward... we have to bring change to the state and bring Congress back to power. From Jaspur to Haldwani, let us meet, engage in dialogue and take forward the fight for the rights of Devbhoomi,” Rawat said.
The developments come as Congress seeks to maintain unity among its senior leaders and strengthen its organisation ahead of the 2027 Uttarakhand Assembly elections.