Sonia's ''apathy'' led me to abandon Congress: Rawat

Dehradun, June 11 (UNI) Uttarakhand Congress MLA Lt Gen (retd) TPS Rawat, who recently quit the party to join the BJP, today said his decision came due to Congress president Sonia Gandhi's ''apathy.'' ''Despite many meetings with Ms Gandhi, I received no assurance from her on the issue of Leader in Opposition in Uttarakhand Assembly, ultimately leading me to to take decision to quit the party and join the BJP,'' the former MLA from Dhumakot constituency of Pauri district said.

Speaking to mediapersons in the BJP party office here for the first time after his switch, Lt Gen (retd) Rawat said that he had called on the Congress chief many times and urged her that the ''man with a clean image'' should be given the responsibility of being the Leader of Opposition. ''However, Ms Gandhi had just asked for the more time and no assurance came from her side in this regard all the time,'' he said, adding that as nothing positive came from her even after three months time, he felt ''neglected'' and decided to quit.

Responding to whether there had been any 'trade' in him changing parties, Gen Rawat retorted that he was ''not a commercial trader''.

He maintained that his decision to vacate his Assembly seat for Chief Minister Maj Gen (retd) B C Khanduri was ''based on mutual understanding'' and no conditions were imposed in the matter.

Answering a query on whether he still followed secularism even after joining BJP that sought Hindutva, he said he would follow the party's dictates. Denying the allegation of being ''opportunistic'', levelled against him by the Uttarakhand Congress, Gen Rawat quipped that had he be one, he would have made the change much earlier.

Asserting that he was much impressed by the working culture of the BJP and ''overwhelmed'' by the welcome the national and state level BJP leaders accorded him, he said he would work for the BJP honestly and committedly, like a true party worker.

UNI