‘I take responsibility for the rebellion by MLAs’
Are your differences with Chief Minister Harish Rawat continuing, especially after the Rajya Sabha election? We have no differences. There may be some difference of opinion on certain issues, but as such there are no serious differences between us. Basically, the government must work for the welfare of the people. As the in-charge of the state Congress, I must bring important issues before the government. This does not mean that we have differences.
Why were you ignored for the Rajya Sabha seat despite being a formidable candidate? I don’t know why I was ignored. Rawat may be the right person to answer this question. But yes, when N D Tiwari was chief minister of our state, Rawat was sent to the Rajya Sabha because he was the state Congress chief then.
Recently, Rawat visited the state Congress headquarters in Dehradun to hand over the replies of all the letters you wrote him. Are you now satisfied? When Tiwari was chief minister, he and Rawat respected each other despite their differences. Both Rawat and Tiwari maintained the dignity of the state party unit and the government respectively. I wrote close to 10,000 letters to the government in the interest of the people and the party. He (Rawat) came to the party headquarters with replies to my letters. A good message has been sent.
Ten Congress members of the state Assembly have joined the Bharatiya Janata Party — this
can be considered a setback for the Congress in the light of their March 18 rebellion. Do you agree?
We have recovered considerably. I don’t know about other people, but I take responsibility for the entire episode. Despite being the state Congress president, I could not do anything to stop the rebellion. Yes, I agree such incidents are not good for the party.
But why did these Assembly members leave the Congress and create unsavoury scenes?
The issue was related to Vijay Bahuguna, who had been assured by the coordination committee that most of his demands would be met. I still believe that Subodh Uniyal (a loyalist of Bahuguna) would have become a minister. But in between, the March 18 rebellion occurred and everything went haywire. I spoke to Vijayji and tried to end the political crisis.
Is there any room for the return of the Congress rebels?
Politics makes strange bedfellows. If this is true, anything can happen. But it is the party high command, which decides what is good for the Congress in the state.
How do you assess the political situation in Uttarakhand with respect to the Congress?
I agree that 10 Assembly members leaving the Congress was a setback, but I can say with authority that all our workers at the block level in all the constituencies are still with the party. There is no vacuum at the ground level. We have conducted new experiments also. Fulfilling Mahatma Gandhi’s dreams, we have established gram Congress covering all the villages. We have established bazaar Congress at some places. We have strengthened the party at the polling booth level. Our workers will cover all the houses before the Assembly elections in February next year. We took out nearly 55 “save democracy” marches across the state during the political crisis. We will be holding a political conclave in October at Hardwar to which Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi would also be invited.
Do you think there should be an expansion of Rawat’s Cabinet?
Yes, we must accommodate our Assembly members in the Cabinet where two posts are lying vacant. I have earlier stated that the expansion can be held soon after the two-day session of the state Assembly on July 21 and 22.
Do you favour an alliance with Progressive Democratic Front (PDF) in the Assembly polls? The PDF helped us tremendously, especially when we were facing the worst political crisis in Uttarakhand. We have to decide whether PDF candidates should contest independently or on Congress tickets. Neither the Congress nor the PDF should suffer any loss in the process.
What is the status of the Congress manifesto, which was issued during the 2012 Assembly elections?
There are two or three issues, which are yet to be resolved. Otherwise, 70 per cent of the manifesto has been implemented. But the Congress has not taken any stand on Gairsain as the permanent state capital ....
There are some divisions within the Congress on the Gairsain issue. We need to talk to the people before arriving at any conclusion. We will collect feedback from the people and come up with a solution. But the fault lies with the BJP, which did not declare a permanent capital for Uttarakhand when it was formed in 2000. Since then, the issue has lingered. We are ready to build a permanent capital at Gairsain, provided the Centre gives us a package of ~10,000 crore, which is required to complete the infrastructure work in the state capital. But I feel that choice for the capital should be between Mailetha and Srinagar in the Garhwal region.
A series of rain-induced natural disasters in the state have caused considerable damage to life and property. What’s your take on this?
I advocate a separate policy for the Himalayan region for sustainable, inclusive development. The Centre must take a decision on this.
Do you favour construction of hydel projects on the river Ganga?
We should not touch the Ganga; it is our life. Barring the Ganga, we can construct hydel projects on rivers such as the Yamuna and the Kali.
Why is the government taking so long to set up a lokayukta, especially in the wake of a series of corruption scandals being faced by the state government?
The government must act fast to set up the lokayukta at the earliest.
The state government is going ahead with the construction of a new Vidhan Sabha building in Raipur area of Dehradun. What is the party’s view on this issue?
I have not been informed about this issue. The decision to construct the Raipur Vidhan Sabha was taken by Bahuguna when he was chief minister. We must first resolve the permanent capital issue by holding consultations with all sections of society in the region. Why has the state government not taken any action on the basis of the Bhati and Tripathi commissions, which probed the alleged scams of the former BJP government? The decision to set up a commission to probe the alleged scams of the previous BJP government was taken on the basis of the Congress manifesto. Since it is a party commitment, the government must take action against the culprits.