After being anointed as BJP chief ministerial candidate for the Himachal Pradesh Assembly polls, old warhorse Prem Kumar Dhumal, 73, is confident that the party will end the misrule of the Congress Government and emerge a clear winner.
Asserting that the BJP would win 60 plus seats in the 68-member Himachal Pradesh Assembly, Dhumal said with his own efforts and party president Amit Shah’s “tough messages”, infighting had been checked to a great extent in the State BJP.
In an interview with The Pioneer, he said restoring law and order would be his first priority. However, he sidestepped question on unofficial upper age limit of 75 years in the BJP for holding public offices and remaining in active politics.
Sitting pretty in his parental house at Samirpur village, some distance from Hamirpur, the lok Sabha constituency of his son Anurag Thakur, Dhumal brimmed with confidence that the BJP would trounce the “corrupt and lawless” Congress-rule of Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh. He also dismissed with smirk Singh’s assertion that he will leave the State if the BJP wins 60 or more seats. “Why did he shift his constituency if he was so confident of his prospectsIJ” Dhumal asked.
Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh has filed his nomination from the Arki Assembly constituency in Solan district for the November 9 Assembly polls. He vacated the Shimla (rural) seat for his son Vikramaditya Singh. Dhumal has moved to Sujanpur from Hamirpur.
Mindful of poll defeat in 2012 elections, he assured
that all party leaders were united saying he has been talking to former Chief Minister and BJP MP from Kangra Shanta Kumar, who was with him at the recent Prime Minister’s rally.
Kumar and Union Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda were the first to congratulate Dhumal on being appointed BJP’s CM nominee. At one time, the name of Nadda too was being doing the rounds for the CM candidate.
Dhumal said Shah has given “strong message” against infighting. “All are united, we have been able to check it to a great extent”, he said, adding, “Change of Government is inevitable on December 18, the date of counting, with the BJP taking 60 seats out of 68 Assembly constituencies.
On the party high command announcing his name close to the November 9, the polling date, he said Himachal Pradesh being a small State has a tradition of people knowing before polling as who are the chief ministerial candidates and recalled that as a party president lK Advani had announced his name as CM candidate while addressing a rally with only three days before polling.
Asked about Modi-Government’s dogged campaign against dynasties and his own son’s political career, Dhumal said, “Anurag is in politics not because of me, I am described as father of Anurag in the State.”
Dhumal said Anurag was playing Ranji cricket and became chief of HP cricket association, when Virbhadra filed false cases against him.
He went on to detail as to how Anurag came in contact with Modi and how party president Rajnath Singh without consulting him (Dhumal) announced Anurag as BJP’s lS candidate from Hamirpur. Anurag is now a three-time BJP MP from Hamirpur.
The senior BJP leader recalled his old association with Modi whom he chooses to describe him “a friend, philosopher and a guide” and a man “who is very objective and calls a spade a spade”.
Dhumal was Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh from March 1998 to March 2003 and again from 1 January 2008 to 25 December 2012. He worked with Modi, then in-charge of the State, during the first term as Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh.
“At 73, you are close to unofficial BJP cutoff age of 75 for holding public postsIJ” Dhumal smiled, “We will cross the bridge when it comes.”
Asked about his priorities as would-be CM, veteran leader said restoring law and order, which has turn chaotic with “tree-mafia, liquor-mafia, mine-mafia, and tender mafia ruling the roost, would be the first step as and when he takes over the reins of governance.
Referring to the infamous rape and murder of a teenage school-going student in the State, he said when he went to the girl’s house where her sister said, “The CM says it is a Samanya Ghatna, would he had said so if this would have happened with his daughterIJ” The BJP leader looks on and asks “What do I answerIJ”
“If voted to power, would you pursue corruption cases against the CM and other political leadersIJ” “There would be no vendetta politicsIJ” Dhumal avers.
On Economic front, Dhymal says Himachal Pradesh has Rs 50,000-crore debt. The Modi Government gave Rs 1,15,000 crore to the State that is 32 per cent of the 42 per cent State share in the Central tax.
Quizzed how would he reduce such a huge debt, the BJP leader says there is need to cut down non-plan expenditure and increase resource mobilisation but hasten to add “though the chances are very weak as Himachal Pradesh is basically a consumer State.”.
Dhumal said they would strike at drug menace in the State with the help of and ‘Somnath Vahini’ named after first ‘Paramveer Chakra’ awardee from the State, Major Somanth Sharma. The Government would check drug peddling by destroying Marijuana crop and provide alternative jobs to those engaged in its farming. There are some of the key issues on which Dhumal is seeking votes from the State electorates.