Emerging on the scene after a long silence with a clarification that he is not in the race for the chair of the Chief Minister, former Chief Minister and Sitarganj MlA Vijay Bahuguna said on Thursday, "I have served the State long enough. Besides, I have held a string of posts in my stints in the legal profession as a senior advocate of the apex court and judge of the High Court, in the Planning Commission, as a MP twice and finally as the Chief Minister. It is thus time for me to convey my heart-felt thanks to the people of the State who have given me so much," he said.
However, observers say that he has kept things alive in the realm of possibility. There is a tell-tale, yet unmistakable message that he would not be found wanting if the occasion comes up for the High Command to anoint him on any post according to the exigency of the situation, an observer said.
He asked the State Government to be wary regarding the MoU it had signed with a company known as International Oil Corporation. The Uttarakhand Government claimed that the company would make an investment of $ 500 million in the State. "We are worried. The State Government should not allow itself to be carried away when it gets into a deal with a multinational company. The antecedents of such companies must be probed thoroughly before any such deal is inked," he said.
Bahuguna further said that this being an election year with the Election Commission enjoying constitutional mandate to conduct election six months before the completion of the term of the present Assembly, he would tour the length and breadth of the State from February onwards. "I must know how the people feel about the promises dished out by the party since the 2012 electioneering being now fulfilled on the ground. I would also assess the connect of the leaders and the ministers with the people at large. This is necessary to prepare an objective report which I might send to the High Command at the appropriate time ," he said.
Dwelling on the raging controversy of Rs1509 crore allegedly missing from the State Government's records, he said that post-2013 disaster the Union Government had approved Rs7,500 cr for the reconstruction of Uttarakhand in tranches. "As the fund was allocated for the repair of roads and bridges the Centre cannot withhold/cancel the funds in case we submit the utilization certificates before reimbursement of the money. The fund allotted must come our way and so we should use the opportunity to the fullest extent. Rs7,500 crore is enough for the State Government to build huge infrastructure," he said,
However, in the same breath, he said that he felt the right will is regrettably lacking in the State Government on this count.
Referring to the Progressive Democratic Front (PDF), a loose alliance of non-BJP, non-Congress MlAs, Bahuguna said these MlAs must be prevailed over to contest the upcoming Assembly election on Congress tickets. "We all know the role they played in forming the Congress-led Government here. However, as per my information, they are grooming their constituencies independently. We must review our strategy vis-Ã -vis PDF before it is too late. Otherwise they would prove a liability for the Congress as the party is bracing up for a tough fight with BJP," he said.
Stressing on the silent and dedicated ground work shorn of the political one-upmanship, he said this would ultimately pay off in electoral terms. "Chief Minister must focus on it," he said, a reference that is deemed to be a roundabout criticism of the pompous promise spree the CM is supposed to be indulging in for some time.
Asked how he felt with the State party president Kishore Upadhyaya accompanying the Chief Minister during the latter's public engagements, Bahuguna said it was good. "But the point is that the party leader can hardly help the party romp back home unless the Government rightly delivers on the ground. The party is meant to tom-tom the Government's achievements. But it cannot conjure up victory on its own," he said.
He further said he had called up the now ailing Chief Minister down with viral and throat infection. "I wished for his speedy recovery aside from conveying him some suggestions," he added.