New Delhi: Congress rebels in Uttarakhand on Saturday released a sting video which they claim showed Chief Minister Harish Rawat trying to buy their support.
Rebel Congress MLAs Kunwar Pranav Singh and Saket Bahuguna, the son of former Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna, released the CD at a press conference in Delhi saying it showed that Rawat was resorting to horse trading ahead of a crucial trust vote on March 28. Rawat has said the video is "fake."
"It is unfortunate, we demand that the government be dismissed. I am shocked that such political figures are open to cash for votes," Kunwar Pranav Singh said.
Saket Bahuguna demanded the Rawat government be dismissed and fresh elections held in the state.
Opposition BJP, which has been backing the rebels, also hit out at the chief minister after the sting was released.
"Harish Rawat and the Congress government has let us and the state of Uttarakhand down. The CM has been caught red handed in the act of horse trading. Harish Rawat and his corrupt govt deserve to be removed from power immediately," Uttarakhand state BJP president Ajay Bhatt said.
CM Rawat accused the rebel MLAs of maligning his name. "The video is fake as we all know the 9 Congress MLAs have now defected from the party and lent support to BJP in the state. This also shows they moved to the BJP camp for money," he said.
The crisis erupted on March 18 during a vote on the appropriation bill on the state's annual budget. Nine Congress MLAs rebelled against the Rawat government, following which the BJP staked claim to form a government. CM Rawat now has to prove his majority on Monday
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