You are the longest-serving chief minister of Himachal Pradesh, and the oldest serving chief minister in the country. What keeps you going?
People are my strength. I keep meeting them as often as I can. I connect with them. They keep me going. I have led a simple life. I entered politics in 1962 as an MP. I have toured extensively as MP, MLA, Union minister, and chief minister.
Rahul Gandhi announced that you would be the CM candidate of the party. What will you showcase to the electorate?
We have managed to take development to the nooks and corners of the state. We have opened 16,000 schools and 57 colleges in the past five years. Similarly, 230 health institutes have been opened, road connectivity has increased. We gave unemployment allowance to youth, created jobs.
You had dared the BJP to declare their chief minister candidate.
They have many pressure groups in their party, unlike the Congress. There may be hidden competitors in the Congress who wanted the seat, but I never did any canvassing for it [to become the CM candidate].
Himachal Pradesh has alternately elected the Congress and the BJP since 1990. Why would this time be different?
That was accidental. Perhaps, it was due to the shortcomings of the government or the party. We will win this time.
The BJP has been winning elections. It is running an aggressive campaign in Himachal.
It is not the first time that the BJP is running a campaign heavily financed by the Centre. The influence of the Central government has to be kept in mind. But it does not always work. We have the example of Punjab where the Congress won the elections.
Will your differences with the state Congress chief Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu affect the elections?
There is nothing personal in it. He is relatively an inexperienced person. I have been PCC president for five terms. I have long experience in running the party and I know what is needed. There are no differences now.
The BJP has made corruption a big issue in the state elections. They refer to the corruption cases against you.
What about [BJP president] Amit Shah? I have been framed. I am an agriculturalist. Sometimes the income depends on the crop. Most of my income is from agriculture and horticulture. Some years it is good. It is only an income tax matter. It had also to do with the ‘cricket politics’. I had taken action against HPCA [Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association] chief Anurag Thakur [Lok Sabha member and former chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal’s son]. So Arun Jaitley turned against me. The case is pending in the High Court. It is vendetta politics against me.
How do you see your son Vikramaditya’s role in the elections?
He is the elected president of the state Youth Congress. He won with a thumping majority. His earlier election was set aside on flimsy grounds. He resigned. But a person close to him was elected. He contested again and won. He has chosen politics as his career and can contest the assembly elections.
Rahul Gandhi is set to take over as Congress president. The party is in disarray in many states. How can there be a turnaround?
The sooner Rahul Gandhi takes over as president, the better it will be. He should do the necessary changes to take the party forward. The party will grow under his leadership. The Congress has not been a cadre-based party, but mass-based. The sooner it reverts to the old system, the better it would be for it.
