Whatever may have been the reasons, Bharatiya Janata Party drew either a blank or returned with a much reduced tally of seats in the recent Lok Sabha elections in north India. BJP-ruled State of Himachal Pradesh was the only exception where it increased its number of seats from one in 2004 to three this time. BJP won the prestigious Shimla (reserve) parliamentary seat for the first time. For the weekly Organiser, Amba Charan Vashishth spoke to Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister, Prof. Prem Kumar Dhumal at Shimla a few days back. Excerpts from his interview.
First congratulations. At a time when BJP was losing in rest of the North India, you kept the BJP flag high in your State.
Thank you. I do not take it as my personal victory. For me, it is the collective victory of the BJP, all the leaders and workers, candidates and above all, of the people. I am beholden to people of the Himachal Pradesh who once again reposed their faith in me, my government and the BJP. I am equally grateful to the central party leadership which has always kept its hand of ashirwad on our head.
What are the highlights of BJP victory?
We have been able to increase our tally from one to three. BJP won the Shimla parliamentary (reserve) seat for the first time. Janata Party won it in 1977. We supported the Himachal Vikas Congress candidate who defeated Congress in 1999. He later shifted to Congress. It was the same Congress candidate seeking re-election whom BJP defeated this time.
Media was agog with reports that BJP had put up a candidate for Shimla seat who had never won an election although he contested about eight parliament and assembly elections.
That’s true. We took a calculated risk. Our strategy worked. BJP made history.
What is the secret of BJP victory?
It was a positive vote for the party and the performance of BJP government. BJP put up a united face. More or less, all the leaders of the party worked very hard. That is why we were able to withstand what now appeared to be an unfavourable electoral climate in north India.
There are reports of an MLA, some ex-MLAs and BJP office-bearers of having worked against party candidates.
I too have seen some reports. The BJP leadership is seized of the matter and will take action where necessary.
What is the lesson you have learnt from the recent parliamentary elections?
The government and the Party organisation must work in unison to come up to the expectations and aspirations of the people. We must keep our fingers on people’s pulse and be with them in every situation. Party must work unitedly with commitment and dedication. A government must start working immediately on assuming office, as we did, so that people have faith in it and are convinced of its sincerity.
Sometime back you had announced that you plan to expand your Cabinet. When is it expected?
It will be done soon. I am in the process of this exercise in consultation with the Central leadership.
Will this exercise also involve a review of the performance and functioning of your Cabinet colleagues?
Certainly.
Now that NDA has not been voted to power, what scenario of Centre-State relations do you visualize?
I have always maintained the best of cordial relations with the Centre. During the last 18 months of my tenure, I have had no problem with the UPA government at the Centre. I succeeded where my predecessor Congress government failed. I have been able to get a record number of Central institutions and projects sanctioned and approved for the State.
What is your view of ideal Centre-State relations?
In my view the Centre and the States constitute an Indian United Family with the Centre as its head. Just as a head of the family in the Indian society does not—and should not—discriminate against the various members of the family, so should the Centre not discriminate against different States, more so not on political considerations. Every State, big or small, whether ruled by the ruling party at the Centre or a different one, should receive equal love, affection, care and attention of the Centre.
Himachal has, for the first time in history, got two ministers of Cabinet rank at the Centre. How do you look at it?
I welcome the development. I consider it as a good omen for the State. Both Shri Virbhadra Singh and Shri Anand Sharma have promised to help the State in every manner. They have promised that they will get the life of the industrial package for Himachal extended. I am sure we will witness a new era of hope and development with the State Government and these two Himachal representatives in the UPA government working in tandem for the good of Himachal. When it is a matter of development and welfare of the State, politics should never be allowed to become a hurdle.
During his recent visit to HP, Shri Virbhadra Singh advised your government not to claim credit for the Central schemes implemented by the BJP government.
Why should BJP government not? But for the timely and efficient execution of the schemes/projects, Himachal would have just suffered. It is on record that many non-BJP and Congress governments have failed to execute the Central schemes in time and funds had lapsed. Why should we not pat our back and appreciate the good work done by our officers in timely execution of the schemes? In fact, it is the UPA government itself which has patted our back and acknowledged our excellent performance in comparison to other States by placing Himachal at Number One in implementation of 20-Point Programme.
Recently you had been speaking of taking steps to tone up administration and introduce transparency in government. Have you taken any steps in this direction?
I have decided that the functioning of every department of government should be reviewed at the level of respective ministers. It will be followed by a quarterly review at my level. Physical and financial targets would be fixed during these meetings. Every month each district would be evaluated on fixed developmental parameters and inter-district comparison would be carried out. Results will also be made public through press.
Apart from ensuring total transparency in the government functioning, competitive spirit would be generated among the departments to give a fill up to the agenda of the State government. All the ministers and secretaries have been directed to carry out surprise inspections of developmental works in the field and to ensure that complaints of the common man are attended to promptly. A senior secretary in the government is being assigned a district each for proper monitoring of the ongoing developmental activities.
