As the campaign enters its last leg in Himachal Pradesh before the November 12 polling, the state is witnessing hectic political activities. Political parties are pulling all stops for the tough battle.
THE WEEK caught up with Congress in-charge for Himachal Pradesh, Rajeev Shukla, at the party office in Shimla.
Excerpts:
How confident is Congress as you enter the final stages of campaign?
We are all set to get two-third majority. The kind of response and feedback we are getting from all the constituencies is unprecedented. The BJP organised rallies in 68 constituencies (to get crowds), while thousands were turning up even when our candidates were filing nominations. This election is fought by the people of Himachal; they want change. The trend (of electing an alternate party) will not change as Chief Minister (Jairam Thakur) is saying. A new government will come, which will be Congress's.
Is it because of the state's trend since 1985 that no government is re-elected?
It is more than that. Besides the trend that every government will change after five years, the people are agitated. Because of price rise and unemployment, who is happy? Be it women, youth, government employees, or ex-servicemen, no one is happy. Even apple growers are unhappy. We have promises for all of them. Corruption is rampant.
These issues have been there in other states, but the BJP tends to do well. Why would Himachal be different?
Here people are well-educated and well-aware. Mobile penetration is much higher, the reach of social media is much higher, and people are aware of the issues and problems. Secondly, other northern states are also feeling the pinch of price rise.
What is your plank?
We are giving 10 guarantees (from jobs, stipend to women, Old Pension Scheme and revitalising the rural economy). We will implement these promises as the Congress has done in the past.
This is a generational change election for Himachal Pradesh as former CMs Virbhadhra Singh and Prem Kumar Dhumal (of BJP) are not there.
This was a great challenge for us as Virbhadra Singh was the supreme leader of the Congress in the state. People are still emotionally attached to him. He is the one who developed the new Himachal as Indira Gandhiji gifted the new state to the people. In every nook and corner of the state, one would find his name. What has the BJP done apart from just laying foundation stones? We are fighting the elections under collective leadership. There is no factionalism. Look at the BJP—it has got three times more rebels than the Congress.
For the first time in many decades, Congress is projecting a CM face. Is it a challenge?
No, it is not a challenge. People are voting for the Congress. The rest, the MLAs will decide.
So a non-MLA can be a CM (Congress state president Pratibha Singh is Lok Sabha MP).
One cannot say all these things now. Normally, the MLAs choose a CM from among themselves. Whether an MLA or non-MLA becomes the chief minister, it will be decided by the party high command and the elected MLAs. Right now I cannot predict that.
Who is the main opponent, the BJP or the AAP ?
Our fight is with the BJP. AAP is not there. Moreover, the AAP's focus is not on Himachal. They are focused in Gujarat.
BJP says there is a deal between the Congress and AAP to divide Himachal and Gujarat among themselves.
We don't strike deals. This is their job. The BJP has acquired this expertise.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi started the debate about freebies. What is your take?
In 2014, the same individual promised that every person will get Rs 15 lakhs in their account. Who started this? Was it a false promise? Now, when the formula he used to win elections is picked up by other parties to win elections, he is scared. He (PM) is worried about political parties taking his formula of making false promises. The Congress is away from all this. Whatever we promise, we deliver. In 2018, when we won elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, the first decision of the chief ministers was to waive off the farm loans.
Assuming the Congress wins the Himachal elections, what will it mean for the party?
It will provide a fillip to the party's prospectus. It will give impetus to the morale of the party.
