With roughly four months to go for Uttarakhand elections, the ruling BJP is raising the slogan of ‘Yuva Pradesh, Yuva Chief Minister’ as it appointed a young face Pushkar Singh Dhami as the Chief Minister. The two-term MLA from Khatima assembly seat, he is the third chief minister the BJP has appointed after the party won this state in the 2017 assembly election.
In an interview given to News18, Pushkar Singh Dhami claimed that the BJP will break the jinx by returning to power if in the last four assembly elections the ruling party failed to get a second term. Besides, he also spoke on other issues concerning Uttarakhand and the future of the BJP.
The BJP is all set to contest the upcoming assembly election under his leadership who was appointed as chief minister in July this year. As a chief minister, he has less time to perform and to meet the expectations of the voters. But he is quite confident that even in the given little time he will perform to make the party win.
He is aware that in the neighbouring state Himachal Pradesh, the BJP suffered a crushing defeat in the recently held by-elections for Mandi parliamentary seat and Fatehpur, Arki and Jubbal-Kotkhai assembly seats. The Congress has emerged stronger after winning all four seats in Himachal Pradesh.
But Pushkar Singh Dhami claims that as far as Uttrakhand is concerned, the Congress party is not a political force to reckon with. Congress in Uttarakhand, he said, is troubled by bitter infighting whereas the BJP is well focused on its plan to take the state forward.
He said that he has the support and blessings of top leadership and being the youngest one he tries to learn from seniors and give due respect to mentors and seniors. Uttarakhand was carved out as a state 21 years ago and the development of the state in the last two decades will remain the poll issue. The BJP CM pointed out that the state has made a great stride in terms of road connectivity. He said that the state was greatly benefitted by the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana as villages have now road connectivity. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently said in Kedarnath that this is the era of Uttarakhand. We have been getting rail and air connectivity in the hills. Border areas are getting special attention,” he said.
In the 21 years, Uttarakhand has witnessed 11 chief ministers. The BJP alone replaced three chief ministers since 2017. The BJP and the present chief minister surely have to face this uncomfortable question.
Pushkar Singh Dhami said that certain decisions are taken out of political compulsions. He said that the change of guard has not affected the pace of ongoing development works. If the national leadership gave him an opportunity to serve the state he would accelerate development. He believed Uttarakhand will achieve new milestones when it completes 25 years of formation.
In the house of 70 seats, the BJP in 2017 had won 57 seats, and this time the BJP has set the target to win 60 plus seats which looks like a very big target. But Pushkar Singh Dhami claimed the BJP will achieve the target. Uttarakhand is dominated by families of serving and retired army personnel and they are strongly connected with the BJP.
While heading the party in the poll, he will be confronted with controversy over the Devasthanam Board Act as priests have threatened political consequences. “A committee headed by senior leader Manohar Kant Dhyani has given an interim report, and the final report is awaited. We will take a call after getting feedback and suggestions from all stakeholders,” he said on the matter.
