Harish Rawat appeals Congress leadership to expel him amid allegations of selling tickets

Uttarakhand Congress chief and former Chief Minister, Harish Rawat, has pleaded with party leadership to expel him amid allegations of selling tickets. Acknowledging that the allegations are 'serious' the Congress leader said that in the upcoming festival of Holi which is a celebration of burning evil, the party should also suspend him.

In a tweet, Harish Rawat said that the accusation is being levelled on someone who has handled the post of a chief minister, state president of the party, general secretary of the party and is a member of the Congress Working Committee. 

"The allegation of selling office and party ticket is very serious and if the allegation is being levelled against a person who has been the Chief Minister, who has been the State President of the party, who has been the General Secretary of the party and is a member of the Congress Working Committee and the person imposing is also a person present in a serious position and the allegation made by that person is being publicized and disseminated by the person present in a very important post and his supporters, then this allegation becomes even more serious," the former Uttarakhand chief minister wrote in a statement.

"This charge has been levelled against me. I pray to God that the Congress party expels me from the party in light of this allegation against me. Holi is a proper celebration of summoning evils, Holika Dahan and #HarishRawat evil should also be burnt by Congress in this Holika," Rawat added. 

Harish Rawat takes responsibility for Congress' Uttarakhand poll debacle 

Earlier, the Congress chief from the state had taken responsibility for the defeat of the party in the recently concluded Uttarakhand Assembly elections. As the chairman of the Congress party's campaign committee, Rawat had apologised to every member and leadership in the working committee. Speaking to ANI, Rawat had also revealed that the party was expecting to win in the state.

The BJP is set to retain Uttarakhand after winning 47 seats. Congress, which was banking on anti-incumbency against the state government, won 19 seats in the 70-member state Assembly.