'Congress targeting me because I am wife of Harak Singh Rawat'

DEHRADUN: A day after being expelled from Congress party for alleged anti-party activities, Deepti Rawat, wife of former state cabinet minister Harak Singh Rawat said that she was being targeted because she is wife Harak Singh Rawat. Harak Singh Rawat had rebelled against Congress party and joined BJP.
The state congress unit on Saturday expelled Deepti Rawat, who is the chairman of Pauri Zila Panchayat, and chairman of Rudraprayag Zila Panchayat, Laxmi Rana, who is also considered a supporter of Harak Singh Rawat.
Speaking to TOI, Deepti Rawat said, “Congress party is targeting me because I am a wife of Harak Singh Rawat. I am not even a primary member of Congress party so how can they expel me. I won the election of Zila Panchayat as an independent candidate. Although I never indulged in any anti-congress activities and was working for the development of Pauri district.”
She further added that she is still an independent candidate and has not taken the membership of BJP despite her husband Harak Singh Rawat joining the party in May 2016. “I am neither a member of Congress party and nor BJP,” said Deepti Rawat.
Echoing his wife's statement, Harak Singh Rawat also said that Deepti is being targeted because of him. “Senior Congress party leaders led by chief minister even tried to defeat Deepti in the Zila Panchayat elections in 2014, although she won the election comfortably,” Harak Singh Rawat told TOI.
State Congress spokesperson Mathura Dutt Joshi said that district congress committees of both Pauri and Rudraprayag districts were continuously complaining against Deepti Rawat and Laxmi Rana respectively for working against party’s interest.
“They both were not attending Congress party functions in the districts and despite repeated instructions they did not mend their ways. A proposal was sent by the district committees after which the state unit decided to expel them from the party,” said Joshi.
Countering the congress party’s claim, Deepti Rawat said that she was regularly attending all the functions of chief minister Harish Rawat in Pauri district, saying that she was continuously being ignored by the government since Harak Singh Rawat joined BJP.