Former Chief Minister and Uttaranchal BJP president Shri Bhagat Singh Koshyari is confident that BJP would return to power with a thumping majority in the state. In an exclusive interview to Organiser representative Ravindra Saini in Dehradun, Shri Koshyari claimed that the people of the state are completely fed up with the misdeeds of the Congress government and want to get rid of it at the earliest. With regard to the developmental work in the state, he said the Congress government has pushed the state 10 years back just in four-and-a-half years. Shri Koshyari said the record crowd assembled at the BJP'sParivartan rally held in Dehradun recently is a clear indication of the people'smood in favour of the BJP. Excerpts:
How do you evaluate the performance of Congress government in Uttaranchal?
Uttaranchal, under Chief Minister Shri N.D. Tewari, has become a den of non-governance and corruption. During the four-and-a-half-year tenure of the Congress rule, innumerable scandals have surfaced in the state. At least 55 major scandals have been exposed. Despite the state being under heavy debt, the Chief Minister provided ministerial berths and privileges to more than 300 Congress leaders. It pains me to say that this government has ruined Uttaranchal and has failed at all fronts. The people have got disillusioned with this government. Even the State Congress chief Shri Harish Rawat has publicly said the Tewari government is inept and is indulging in imbalanced development, indiscriminate distribution of lal battis and ignoring the public interest. Instead of taking effective steps to put the state on tracks of development, the Congress government even failed to utilise the state'snatural resources properly. The government also could not increase the employment opportunities. Its claims of reserving 70 per cent of the total jobs in the new industrial units being set up in Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar for the local youth have also proved wrong. The local youth are not getting jobs in these units. Most of the work has been given to the contractors and they are exploiting the youth. The government utterly failed in investing even a single rupee in hilly districts for industrial development. The state'sfiscal deficit has increased to almost Rs 12,000 crore due to government'slackadaisical attitude. Shri Tewari'soffer to quit office several times also developed an atmosphere of confusion and instability in the administration.
What about the law and order situation in the state?
The law and order situation is in tatters. The government has failed to arrest the rising crime graph. Crimes against women are on the rise. The situation is deteriorating everyday. Criminals are having a field day, while the police is unable to maintain peace. The number of murders also went up to 35 per cent. Even the home of an IPS officer was burgled recently. Criminal incidents have taken place even near the CM House. Even the temples are not safe. A theft took place recently at the historic Kedarnath temple. The priests too are not feeling safe with half a dozen having been murdered in the past one-and-a-half year. The DGP has already warned women not to wear precious ornaments when they are out on streets.
It is alleged that the BJP played the role of a friendly opposition in Uttaranchal. What do you say?
I absolutely refutes this. The BJP has been attacking on anti-people policies of this government constantly since the Congress government assumed power in the state. In order to give voice to the growing resentments over the ever-increasing inflation, unemployment, detereorating law and order conditions, corruption and other issues, the BJP organised various protest demonstrations. Our party has always targeted the Congress government in an efficient and effective manner. We can never support the anti-people policies of the Congress government. It is a propaganda launched by some Congress leaders to create confusion among people. Finding no way out they are indulging in such misinformation campaigns. But people cannot be made fool now. They have understood the real character of the Congress and its leaders.
Approval of the Union Cabinet has been granted to change the name of Uttaranchal to Uttarakhand. Will this name-game bring any advantage for the Congress?
It is an attempt by the Congress to play with the sentiments of the people of the state. People know it very well that the Congress and its leaders never actively supported the agitation for a separate state and it is now resorting to such tactics to extract the sympathy of the people. People want development, not such things to make them fool. If the Congress was serious on renaming the state, they could have done it in 2002 just after coming to power. Since renaming the state would cost the state exchequer nearly Rs 1000 crore, the financial implication would be immense. With five months to go before the next assembly election in the state, the decision is being looked upon as a political gimmick by the people. So this cannot bring any advantage.
What would be the major issues in the forthcoming assembly polls?
The complete misrule and corruption by the Congress government will be our main poll planks. The BJP will also raise with equal force three other issues?inefficiency, incompetence and complete lack of developmental works on the part of the Congress government.
Uma Bharati'sparty Bharatiya Janashakti Party has also started preparations for the assembly elections. Will it leave any adverse impact on BJP'sprospects in the state?
She will not be able to play any vital role in the state. People want a stable government, which could fulfill their aspirations and they know it very well that only the BJP can do it.
Are you confident of coming to power in the state?
People want to get rid of this government at the earliest. We will leave no stone unturned for the victory in the assembly polls. The grand Parivartan rally held in Dehradun recently has already indicated the sure victory of BJP. The rally has shown that a popular wave is blowing in favour of the BJP. People in the state are fed up with this regime of scandals and they are in no mood to tolerate it any more. About 80,000 people attended the Parivartan rally, which is a clear indication of the things to come. Political situation in Uttaranchal very much favours the BJP.
You have accused the Tewari government of several scams. How will you highlight them?
The party has prepared a chargesheet listing 55 major scams taken place in Uttaranchal in the past four-and-a-half year. Beginning with irregularities in the appointments of patwaris, the list contains the instances of corruption, which have jolted the state government from time to time. Most of these scams relate to construction, appointments, procurement of goods and issuance of contracts by almost all departments, including health, education, PWD, excise, power and agriculture. This list is indicative of the failure of the state government in tackling corruption and ensuring all-round development of the state. Copies of the chargesheet have been printed and will be circulated among the people with the slogans like ?Remove the Congress, bring back the BJP, save Uttaranchal?. People of the state are determined to root out the Congress government in the coming polls.
