Pushkar Singh Dhami | Arvind Jain
Q/ You got hardly six months as chief minister. What is the unfinished task that you would like to complete if you return to power?
A/ Our focus will be on sectors like tourism, health, education, power and employment generation. Many things related to land reforms and demographic changes are still pending. All departments have been asked to submit roadmaps to make Uttarakhand self-dependent. In 2025, when the state will mark its 25 years of origin, we want Uttarakhand to be among the best in all sectors.
Q/ Are you the party’s chief minister candidate?
A/ I took more than 550 decisions for the welfare of the state. I would like to continue taking those [decisions] forward once I am back in office.
Q/ Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi has promised 40 per cent quota for women in jobs in Uttarakhand. What is your response?
A/ The Congress is not giving tickets for women candidates and its leaders are talking about reserving jobs for women. The head of the Congress’s women wing in the state has joined the BJP.
Q/ What is your plan to tackle the massive unemployment in the state?
A/ I agree that unemployment levels have gone up because of the pandemic. Distress migration is also a major issue. We have taken several initiatives for [providing] government jobs. We have started the process to fill 24,000 vacancies. But government jobs are certainly not enough. So, we are focusing on self-help groups to generate more jobs.
Q/ Uttarakhand has always alternated between parties in assembly polls. Are you confident of breaking this pattern?
A/ Ever since Narendra Modi became prime minister, all patterns have been broken. Before 2017, Uttarakhand never had parliamentarians from the ruling party. This is broken now. We are coming back to power.
Q/ How do you tackle land reforms and migration issues?
A/ For land reforms, we have set up a committee and most of its work is done. To prevent migration, industries and developmental work will be our prime focus.
Q/ Will farm protests have an impact in Khatima, your constituency? Sikh farmers from Udham Singh Nagar district had participated in the agitation.
A/ All the Sikh farmers in the state are completely in favour of the BJP. I am from Udham Singh Nagar district and I am like family to the farmers’ community. They feel proud that a boy from their area has become mukhya sewak.
Q/ Do you think that the armed forces community, which is quite large in Uttarakhand, is upset with not getting complete benefits from the ‘One Rank, One Pension’ scheme?
A/ Most issues have been resolved. I am a son of a soldier myself and I am confident that all soldiers are with the BJP. We are not like the Congress, whose leaders had called Gen Bipin Rawat a ‘street hooligan’.
Q/ How do you view rival parties such as the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party?
A/ Our opponents are nowhere in the picture. I have been through several constituencies and I can say quite confidently that the BJP will form the government again with a massive majority.
Q/ How do you plan to counter the freebies that the AAP is offering?
A/ The people of Uttarakhand have self-respect. They do not believe that anything is free. The BJP wants atmanirbhar Uttarakhand.
Q/ Are party rebels making things difficult for you?
Ours is a cadre party; rebels do not matter to us. If rebels don’t follow the party line, the party decides on them.