Harish Rawat fearful over about threat of acid attack on party campaign

Former chief minister Harish Rawat has expressed apprehensions about the threat of an acid attack on the Congress's Parivartan Yatra in Uttarakhand as part of a conspiracy to disrupt the party's campaign for Assembly polls in 2022.

In a tweet on Thursday, a day ahead of launching the party's Parivartan Yatra from Khatima, Rawat said he received a "worrying piece of information" from two sources.

"Political or ideological rivalry is alright, healthy competition in terms of performance is okay. But if you single out a political rival and instigate some students or motivate them to throw ink laced with acid on them, it would be a blot on the politics of Uttarakhand," Rawat said.

"If it does happen, it can be easily guessed which party is behind this," he said without naming any party.

However, Rawat who is the party's campaign committee head in Uttarakhand, did not say anything in the tweet about the party leaders who could be targeted if such an attack took place.

Alerting every one including the administrative agencies about the threat, he said he prays to Goddess Purnagiri that nothing of the sort happens during the party's poll campaign and it turns out to be just an apprehension.

Accompanied by Pradesh Congress President Ganesh Godiyal and Leader of Opposition in Uttarakhand Assembly Pritam Singh, Rawat launched the party's Parivartan Yatra from Khatima in Udham Singh Nagar district on Friday.

The yatra, which has to be carried out in phases, has so far crossed through Khatima, Sitarganj, Kichcha and Lalkuan in Udham Singh Nagar district.