Uttarakhand minister Harak Singh Rawat on Saturday indirectly advised the BJP to avoid targeting Congress leader Harish Rawat, saying more a political opponent is targeted, the stronger he becomes.
"My experience tells me that the more you target an opponent, the stronger he gets. My strategy would have been different. I would have targeted someone whom I wanted to be in the race," Harak told reporters when asked if targeting Harish Rawat was going to brighten the BJP's poll prospects.
Former chief minister Harish Rawat, who is Congress's poll campaign head for Uttarakhand, was targeted repeatedly by Union Home Minister Amit Shah during his last rally in Dehradun on October 30.
Shah had reminded the Congress general secretary of the sting video that surfaced before the 2017 assembly polls allegedly showing him negotiating a deal to buy back the support of rebel MLAs.
The Union minister had even dared the former chief minister to an open debate with the BJP spelling out what he had done for the state during his tenure.
Known for his candour, Harak said the fight in Uttarakhand is between the BJP and the Congress, and not between Harish Rawat and (Chief Minister) Pushkar Singh Dhami.
"It is BJP versus Congress. Not Harish Rawat versus Pushkar Singh Dhami. It is not a battle between individuals. It is an ideological fight between the two parties in which the Congress stands nowhere," he said.
The state Assembly polls are slated for next year.
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