Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader colonel (retd) Ajay Kothiyal said that the concept of summer and winter capitals in one state is not a practical concept. Gairsain which is currently the summer capital of the state should be the permanent capital of Uttarakhand. He also said that he will contest the Assembly election from Gangotri constituency during an online interaction with The Pioneer on Tuesday.
Kothiyal said, “Two capitals in one state has various drawbacks. We believe that being a mountain state, Gairsain should have been made the permanent capital of Uttarakhand. We are working out on it and planning how all important departments should be built within a radius of 15 kilometres of Bharadisain in Gairsain. An architect with us is preparing a sand model for this purpose.” On being asked if AAP will make Gairsain the permanent capital if elected to office, he said that there is no doubt that Gairsain should be the permanent state capital. Regarding his electoral plans he recalled that when the then chief minister Tirath Singh Rawat was considering contesting the Assembly bypoll from Gangotri, AAP had decided to field him from there. “It is now decided that I will contest the Assembly election from Gangotri constituency.”
He recalled his experience of working on the Kedarnath reconstruction project after the 2013 disaster as the then principal of the Nehru Institute of Mountaineer. He said that the masterplan prepared for Kedarnath is good and takes into consideration all the important aspects. However, at times the execution does not seem to be swift enough, he added.
On being asked about how he will maintain his army character while immersing himself in mainstream politics, Kothiyal said that while in the army, he fought a known enemy while in politics the enemy is masked. “The character developed and tested during my army service is with me. Politics is challenging but if I make false promises, become a yes man or become corrupt and say build a hotel in Goa, I will not be able to look people in the eye as I do now,” he said. On the question of why people should vote for AAP he said that during his public interactions in the mountainous regions, most people had blamed the two national parties for the status of health, education and employment in the state. He said, “The AAP government has delivered on these issues in Delhi and I have also proved myself during my work in Kedarnath and with my Youth Foundation- which has trained youths who are now in the army.”
Regarding the recent announcements made by Delhi CM and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal in Dehradun regarding electricity, Kothiyal said that these were not populist measures but obligations which should be fulfilled by a government. “The government must ensure clean air, drinking water and electricity to encourage people to become good citizens. There are no free lunches, AAP is providing facilities in Delhi within the annual budget. We have estimated the approximate cost of providing upto 300 units of electricity free in Uttarakhand. We will promise only what is in our hands, what can be facilitated within the budget.”
On being asked how AAP will face BJP and Congress with their comparatively stronger organisation, he said that though it will be challenging, the AAP had won against these two national parties in Delhi and proved itself capable. Addressing the people of Uttarakhand, he said, “I entered politics after my army service on seeing that the government can do good work for the people. Irrespective of what is said and projected, the mountainous regions of Uttarakhand are in a bad shape. We want you to trust us, we need your support. We will share our vision with you and bring it on the ground.”
