sukhu-govt-can-t-shun-accountability-by-feigning-helplessness

Better known for his simplicity, accessibility and humble approach in politics, Leader of Opposition in Himachal Pradesh and former chief minister Jai Ram Thakur has gone all aggressive against the Sukhu-led state government inside and outside the state Assembly over the last three years. He finds the role of Opposition leader equally responsible as that of the Chief Minister and says the ‘state interest’ has to be kept above all priorities at both positions.

 

Jai Ram Thakur talked to the News Arena Network in an exclusive interview in Shimla and alleged that governance has derailed badly under Congress rule in Himachal Pradesh. The excerpts are:

 

Q. You are too aggressive as Opposition Leader, which doesn’t match with your basic nature. What do you have to say on this?

A. I am a sensitive person. Whenever I think that things are going wrong or the government is taking decisions against the state interest, I speak up. As Opposition Leader, it is my prime responsibility to keep a watch on government decisions and take them up effectively. I have been playing this role to the best of my ability by staying in touch with people on the ground to have in-depth knowledge of their concerns.

 

Q. The Chief Minister says you are overperforming loudly because your supremacy for the CM’s chair in future is threatened in the faction-ridden BJP in HP. How far is it true?

A. I have been a sincere party worker and I never think on these lines. I want my party to win and that’s all. There is no burden on me about any posts. It never was in the past also. I just do the assignment given to me by the party at any time. The decisions of the central BJP leadership are supreme for me.
So far as the Chief Minister’s remarks on factions in BJP are concerned, I would only say that Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu’s priority is politics, not state interest. In over three years of Congress rule, he has failed to reflect his vision for the state. He is busy making political remarks so as to trigger public debate on false issues. He should know that BJP is the biggest political party in the world and there is no scope for factionalism in it.

In fact, the ruling Congress is badly divided into camps. A recent comment by a senior minister that the Congress came into power in Himachal with the efforts and hard work of the Deputy Chief Minister indicates a rift in Congress. The Deputy CM publicly contradicted the Chief Minister, holding that Himachal cannot become ‘Atma Nirbhar’ in 2027. The Chief Minister should do some introspection, as the six Congress MLAs who joined BJP were also against his leadership, not against the Congress party as such. In our government previously, no MLA left the party.

 

Q. How do you compare the transition of leadership in BJP in 2017 and in Congress in 2022?
A. Transition is a normal phenomenon. When senior leadership exits, new leadership emerges. I got the chance to work as Chief Minister for five years and did my best while taking decisions in the larger interest of the public and the state. But the present Congress leadership, which emerged in 2022, is pathetic. There is an atmosphere of disappointment in the state. The Congress leaders are just passing time. They are taking the state towards financial bankruptcy, development is at a standstill, the law and order situation has deteriorated badly and trust in the Chief Minister has dropped to the lowest level.

Q. Himachal does not have a regular Chief Secretary and Director General of Police. The senior officers have just been given additional charge of the top posts. How do you see this approach?
A. This shows their poor capacity to govern. In Congress rule, the entire system seems temporary. The Chief Minister is just passing his time. It is not a good message so far as governance is concerned. Indecision ails the government. The Congress government takes decisions without giving them necessary thought, brings embarrassment for the state every time and then retraces under pressure. This indecisiveness has also made it awkward for the government in court.

They should decide properly by taking into consideration all the pros and cons in every matter and, once the decision is taken, they should stick to it. Just see what happened in the one-sided decision on the hike in entry tax for outside vehicles, or the decision to defer 3% salary of Class I and II officers. Both had to be withdrawn in no time.

 

Q. Do you think the top bureaucracy has spoiled discipline by dragging each other on corruption issues?
A. This will happen in a government that does not have any control over the administration. The officers whom we kept at a distance based on inputs are running the present government. They suit the interests of the present political bosses. The government is completely running on connivance and blackmail tactics. The Chief Minister has not been able to decide to get rid of such officers. He could not even sideline his Principal Private Secretary. There must be something between the lines on this front also.

Q. Your government had put an end to vendetta politics, which continued during alternate tenures of Prem Kumar Dhumal (BJP) and Virbhadra Singh (Congress) since 1998. Does it exist now?
A. I took those decisions based on my life experience. I could see that the big leaders of the state used to target each other and drag each other into cases. They remained entangled in this tussle and were not able to focus fully on development of the state. Yet, in the end, they would shake hands again. Then why waste energy in such an exercise? I broke the trend.

Unfortunately, it exists again in the present Congress rule. Some of the Congress/Independent MLAs who joined BJP won the bypoll and others lost. But see how they are being harassed. Cases have been filed against them. What will the government gain by stopping the pension of these MLAs? The government first brought a bill retrospectively to stop their pension, and when it did not get assent, the government brought another one to hurt a few now. Whatever they decide is struck down by the court.

 

Q. New doctors are low paid in the state as the present government has struck off the Non-Practicing Allowance from their salaries. You opposed it. What is your stand if the BJP comes back to power in Himachal?
A. The present government fell into the trap of an IAS lobby in this regard, as the latter was always critical about doctors getting higher salaries than them. They tried to convince me also, but I refused to withdraw NPA as I know how much a doctor studies to clear the All India entrance exams first and then complete the degrees. They play an important role in society.

Unfortunately, this government is more inclined towards getting high-end machinery for treatment in hospitals than ensuring basic facilities in health institutions along with good doctors. Many young doctors now don’t want to serve in HP because of this government’s policy. The Congress government is directionless. We will definitely review certain decisions in the state interest once we are back in power.

 

Q. The Congress government blames the previous BJP government for the financial crisis in Himachal and there is a lot of hullabaloo over withdrawal of Revenue Deficit Grant by the 16th Finance Commission. What is your take on this?
A. How long can they blame the previous BJP government for everything? Congress has been in power for over three years in Himachal now. They should own responsibility and accountability. The Congress government is trying to set a wrong narrative on RDG. The RDG was withdrawn for 17 states across the country, not only Himachal Pradesh.

I question them that when the financial condition is so bad, why did they take steps like appointing Chief Parliamentary Secretaries, so many advisors and Chairmen with cabinet rank, and increasing their salaries manifold? They appointed 90 Additional, Deputy and Assistant Advocate Generals who are still losing cases in court. The Excise Department’s functioning is at the lowest ebb and it needs to be inquired into how Telangana contractors got into the liquor business in Kullu district.

 

Q. The Congress government alleges that the Centre is not helping Himachal?
A. It is just an excuse by the Congress government. They are feigning helplessness on every front to get the boat across. They are shunning accountability. Did they give poll guarantees after asking the BJP government at the Centre? They should fulfil all these guarantees on their own, facing ground realities.
The Centre has been continuously helping Himachal Pradesh financially. It is a fact that Congress-ruled Himachal will get Rs 2,500 crore more from the Centre in this financial year compared to the last year of the previous BJP government’s tenure. The state got RDG under Congress rule till 2025-26. The 15th Finance Commission period started from 2020-21.

Even otherwise, the state has been getting finances through central transfers, share in taxes, subsidy in central schemes and interest-free loans as special help from the Centre for 50 years, equalling Rs 25,350 crore in 2021-22, Rs 23,073 crore in 2022-23, Rs 25,815 crore in 2023-24, Rs 25,813 crore in 2024-25 and Rs 26,540 crore in 2025-26. The state will get Rs 25,634 crore in 2026-27 under all these heads from the Centre. Despite so much help, the present government has proved a failure in development for different reasons.