Dehradun: Shortly after being sworn in as the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Harish Rawat today showered praises on his predecessor Vijay Bahuguna, saying he salutes him for doing an exemplary job during the mid-June natural calamity that shook the whole nation.
"I salute Bahuguna for doing a splendid job during the unprecedented crisis. It was not an ordinary calamity. Rowing the boat in the midst of a tornado is very difficult and that is exactly what Bahuguna did during the tragedy," Rawat told a huge gathering at the Parade Ground here soon after being sworn in as the eighth Chief Minister of the state.
Thousands of his supporters from different parts of the state, especially from Almora, Nainital and Pithoragarh districts of Kumaon region to which he belongs, converged at the ground braving the winter chill to listen to him.
Spelling out his priorities, the new Chief Minister said bringing the state out of the travails of the mid-June disaster and carrying forward the good work done by the Bahuguna government was his foremost responsibility.
Bahuguna, Congress MPs Satpal Maharaj and Pradeep Tamta were among those who shared the dais with Rawat.
