Dehra Dun, July 26: Uttaranchal Congress executive which met here today amidst demands for expulsion of former minister Harak Singh Rawat from the party in the wake of CBI registering a case against him in connection with the unwed mother episode deferred a decision saying it would consult the chief minister before taking any action on the issue. "We will be consulting the Chief Minister (N D Tiwari) before taking any action on the issue," state president of the ruling Congress Harish Rawat told reporters after the five-hour meeting. "The party has taken the scandal with serious concern and we discussed it at today's meeting," he said, but refused to give details. However, the PCC chief maintained that the party's image was not affected by the scandal. Rawat ruled out extending any support to the former minister in the case. Neither has he sought any help from the party in this regard, he added.

Earlier in the day, Congress state general secretary Dhirendra Pratap demanded immediate expulsion of the former minister from the party and asked him to resign from the state assembly also. "It is high time now that we must act to get rid of Rawat who has become a liability to the party."

CBI had yesterday registered a case of rape against Harak Singh Rawat after conducting prelimnary probe into the "unwed mother" episode that led to his resignation from the state cabinet.

Bureau Report