Harish Rawat Rekha Arya row: ‘Babli’ jibe draws ‘Kursi Kumar’ reply as Uttarakhand poll rivalry sharpens

The Harish Rawat Rekha Arya row escalated on Thursday, when the Uttarakhand cabinet minister called the former chief minister “Kursi Kumar” a day after he used the word “Babli” in a social media post, PTI reported from Dehradun on 12 November.

What happened in the Harish Rawat Rekha Arya row

On Wednesday the Congress leader Harish Rawat posted on social media and called Rekha Arya and her husband Girdhari Lal Sahu “Bunty-Babli”, without naming them, PTI said. The post referred to a 210 crore rupee scam in the midday meal and foodgrain schemes. That is an allegation by Rawat, and the reports cite no court or agency finding.

Arya replied on Thursday. She called Rawat “Kursi Kumar”, “the chameleon of politics” and “Jhoothacharya”, PTI reported. ETV Bharat said she also raised an alleged sting operation, the 2016 collapse of his government’s majority and the Nainisaar land matter. She asked why Rawat was lecturing on moral courage after watching one video.

Key numbers

• 210 crore rupees: the figure in Rawat’s post about the midday meal and foodgrain scam, as quoted by PTI.
• 12 November: the day Arya replied, a Thursday, per PTI.
• 2027: the year of the next Uttarakhand Assembly election, which Rawat named in his Facebook post.

Harish Rawat CM race: what he wrote on Wednesday

The same day, Rawat wrote on Facebook that he is not in the race for the Congress chief ministerial face. “After Congress wins a majority in 2027, I am not aspiring to become Chief Minister, nor any other position,” he wrote. He added: “My goal is to form a government in Uttarakhand in 2027.”

ANI said the party plans to put national president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra into the campaign.

What people said

Rawat answered Arya’s reply. He said the assets of all the “Bablis” in his family could be checked too, and added that the ED was already examining his assets, PTI reported. According to the Devbhoomi Dialogue report, he also warned that he had so far raised only the 210 crore matter and had more points to make.

ETV Bharat said Arya wrote that a leader whose own party no longer takes him seriously does not need an answer.

Uttarakhand Congress and the 2027 contest

The exchange comes as both parties position themselves for the Uttarakhand Assembly election in 2027. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has said the BJP will win a third straight term, as our earlier report on his third term claim noted. Rawat is a former chief minister and a senior figure in the Uttarakhand Congress, so his statement on the CM question draws attention.

What happens next

Rawat has signalled that the Harish Rawat Rekha Arya argument has more to run, and Arya offered to send him a copy of the video she cited. The reports did not say whether either side will seek an inquiry.