There is a serious threat that Arvind Kejriwal’s AAP will eat into Congress’s votes in Uttarakhand?
I’m grateful that the people of Uttarakhand have understood that AAP is BJP’s ‘supari’ (surrogate). AAP will take time to understand Uttarakhand. It is not like you come to Connaught Place, do an event, and go. You have to understand the geographical landscape and the human mind here. I’ve spent 55 years in Uttarakhand politics and even I can’t say I understand the state’s conditions fully.
Factionalism in Congress has been a major issue in the run-up to this polls?
All Congress leaders are united and are campaigning hard. There’s a clear message that it is a ‘do or die’ battle and everyone is going for victory. Voters also realise how BJP in 2016 destabilised the state politics by engineering defections and are determined to give a comfortable majority to Congress.
BJP is banking on PM Narendra Modi’s campaign which will happen soon?
People are electing a local government. There is 90% literacy in Uttarakhand and people understand that we are not choosing the central government. They have to choose between local Congress leaders and local BJP leaders.
What makes you confident that after repeated defeats in states, Congress can upset BJP here?
Congress is winning this poll and people’s mood is for a change. The ‘double engine’ government promised by BJP has failed to provide development and its only success has been in changing three CMs. Because there has been no development, there is no employment, over 57,000 posts are lying vacant. The educational set up has crumbled. The health sector has crumbled which was evident during the pandemic as Uttarakhand was second in national death tally. During Kumbh, there was a big (Covid) testing scam that brought a bad name to ‘Devbhoomi’. There’s a lot of corruption and mining is rampant.
A big feature of the civil society debate is the demand for land protection law. What is Congress’ stand on the issue?
We’ll enact a comprehensive land protection bill. It’ll have three aspects: stop on rampant sale and purchase of land, no walk-in sale-purchase of farm land without government nod and, it’ll will be measured and land use clause will be enforced to encourage agriculture.