As the Congress is pulling up its socks for the impending Himachal Pradesh Assembly Elections, the state Congress president Pratibha Singh has become the new face of the party. After winning Lok Sabha bypoll from Mandi, home district of Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, Singh is all set to lead the party from the front. The three-time MP who is also the wife of late Virbhadra Singh, a six-time Chief Minister, is confident about Congress turning the tables on the ruling BJP in the upcoming polls. In a state that is known for frequenting power between Congress and BJP, Pratibha Singh, 66, spoke to Ashwani Sharma at ‘Holly-Lodge’ –a bungalow which is a symbol of late Virbhadra Singh’s legacy and a ‘political capital’ of the power game in the Congress.
Do you feel confident about a change in the state?
The Congress is surely going to form the next government. We will get a comfortable majority in the assembly. The people don’t trust the BJP anymore.
Ruling BJP is talking about changing the custom of alternating governments. Their slogan is --Raj Nahin, Riwaaz Badal Raha Hai..
It’s laughable, also their jumlebazi. We have defeated the BJP in four bypolls last year. Our next target is Vidhan Sabha. They (BJP) have befooled everyone in the past five years. Jai Ram Thakur has been the weakest and most non-performing Chief Minister. There is so much corruption. Jobs are on sale. Police constables’ recruitment question papers were sold for Rs six to seven lakhs each. We have issued a chargesheet against the government. An inquiry will be ordered into all the cases of corruption.
What is the overall agenda of Congress?
Our agenda for elections is development – Virbhadra Singh’s model of all round development. We have given 10 guarantees to people which include restoring OPS and granting Rs 1,500 per month to every woman in the age group between 18 to 60 yrs. This is a measure to support women getting crushed by inflation.
How will you meet such a huge financial liability of Rs 6000 crores to fulfill such a promise?
We will manage that by raising resources and cutting down wasteful expenditures.
The Congress is in disadvantage as it doesn’t have leader like Virbhadra Singh in the campaign.
It’s true. His loss can never be compensated. His blessings are with us. We have a very strong team which is in full action mode. Our tickets distribution was highly judicious that helped the party to minimize rumblings like the BJP is facing. They have at least 21 rebels in the fray. It will benefit us.
The Congress also has rebels contesting the polls.
Their number is very small. Being member of the screening committee and Central Election Committee (CEC), I made it emphatically clear to the party to go only by the winnability factor. That helped the congress minimise the damage.
Do you feel that a ‘fair ticket distribution’ is a way forward to Congress victory?
Absolutely. It’s like, we have won half the battle. We will also get a lot of advantage from the BJP’s mass rebellion over their tickets. We will win 50 seats this time.
In your views what is the most important poll issue?
Biggest issue is jobs -unemployment. More than 60,000 posts are vacant in the government. We have promised to give one lakh jobs every year –a total of five lakhs in our tenure. The government employees are agitating for the Old Pension Scheme (OPS). Actually, this government has betrayed the trust of everyone whether youths, farmers, women and employees. There is strong under-current against the Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, who did not care about the government employees.
The BJP says massive development happened in five years due to ‘double engine’ Sarkar.
This is a big lie—a joke. The Chief Minister did nothing during the past five years. Look at late Virbhadra Singh ji’s tenures. Such landmark developments happened. We are thankful to the UPA government, Dr Manmohan Singh ji and Sonia Gandhi for giving us big projects like IIT, Mandi, Central University, IIM, IIIT, Medical colleges and Rohtang Tunnel.
But, PM Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for Rs 3650 crores’ projects last month. He gave Bulk Drug Park, inaugurated AIIMS Bilaspur and gave Vande Bharat train to Himachal.
We have welcomed it though it is more an election stunt. Why was it not done during the last five years. Also, the land for AIIMS, Bilaspur was given by Virbhadra Singh ji. The Prime Minister came to flag off the Vande Bharat express train just a day before elections were announced. We don’t know how long this train will run or if a bulk drug park will be a reality.
Do you think the Modi factor will influence the polls?
No. I don’t think so. He came to the state nine times but has not given any bail-out package for the state despite we are having a Rs 72,000 crores debt.
Unlike BJP, the Congress has neither leaders as star campaigners nor resources to match the BJP.
Sorry to say, we don’t need big leaders from outside to campaign. It doesn’t help much. We are happy that AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi has agreed to campaign for us. She has made a lot of impact in her speeches. Else our local leaders are enough to handle the campaign.
The Congress has not declared its CM face. Is it a disadvantage?
The elections are fought under joint leadership. Earlier, Virbhadra Singh ji, being a stalwart used to be the natural choice. He also faced challenges from persons like Pt. Sukh Ram and Vidya Stokes ji. Yet, he had MLAs and people of the state fully on his side. This time situation is a bit different. Right now, bringing the Congress back to power is our first priority.
Will the party be able to handle it once the Congress gets a majority?
This will not be a problem. The views of newly elected MLAs will also matter.
