Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami  said that state minister Harak Singh Rawat was sacked from the state cabinet and BJP as he was seeking party tickets for his family members.

“Our party follows the path of development, nationalism and stay away from dynasty politics. We follow the matra of sabka sath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas aur sabka prayas. He sometimes made such remarks that surprised us but we overlooked them,” the Chief Minister said while talking to reporters.

“Harak Singh Rawat was putting pressure on the party and seeking party tickets for his family members but we have a different policy, only one member of a family will be given a party ticket for elections,” he added.

Rawat reportedly wanted to change his constituency and was also seeking a ticket for his daughter-in-law Anukriti Gusain from the Lansdowne.

When asked if the decision could trigger internal conflict within the party, the Chief Minister said nothing of this sort would happen.

Harak Singh Rawat sacked from Dhami cabinet

Rawat, who was the Minister of Forest and Environment, Labour and Employment in the BJP-led Uttarakhand government, was on Sunday sacked from the state council of ministers and also expelled from the BJP for six years.

The BJP legislator from the Kotdwar Assembly seat said that the party did not speak to him once before taking such a “big decision”.   

He also said that the Congress will form government in Uttarakhand after the upcoming Assembly elections, adding that he will work for the party.

Rawat was among 10 MLAs who had rebelled against then Harish Rawat-led Congress government in Uttarakhand in 2016 and switched over to the BJP.

Uttarakhand will hold elections in single phase on February 14 and the results will be announced on March 10.