‘MANDATE HAS COME WITH CHALLENGES’
SHIMLA: After being elected the leader of the BJP legislature party, Jai Ram Thakur on Sunday said that his government will collectively work for the state’s development.
“I would like to thank people of the state, Modi ji, party chief Amit Shah and the state leadership. I would like to thank legislators who have nominated me as their leader,” said Thakur.
After meeting the governor, the 52-year-old leader said, “I hope we can all work for the development of the state collectively. We have requested PM Modi and Amit Shah, besides the CMS of other states to attend our swearing-in ceremony on the 27th.”
“People of Himachal have given a strong mandate to the BJP. This victory has come with challenges and big responsibilities,” he said.
Addressing MLAS and party leaders after being declared the chief minister, Thakur said, “I thank the people of the state for the party’s victory. I will not leave any stone unturned to live up to the expectation of the people.”
BALANCING ACT
Thakur’s primary responsibility will be to keep the BJP’S flock of 44 new legislators together in a state where factionalism could bother the party after its pre-poll candidate for the chief minister’s post, 73-year-old Prem Kumar Dhumal, lost the election. Several of Dhumal’s loyalists lost too, but the two-time CM still commands influence.
Thakur will have to strike a balance between organisation and government, especially strong caste and regional affiliations when he picks his ministers.
CREATING JOBS
Himachal reels from little job opportunities but the new chief minister could turn the bleak scenario around by offering self-employment options for the youth. The government’s statistical department says there are more than 3,00,000 unemployed people in the state, while employment exchange data put it at around a million.
FUNDS CRUNCH
Thakur’s biggest challenge will be to stem a financial crisis in the state, which has a debt burden of over ₹45,000 crore and its per capita debt is ₹5,000. The Centre has been giving ₹8,000 crore a year as revenue deficit grant to bail out the state, but this relief is just a
HEALTH SECTOR
Himachal has built hospitals and put more beds for patients over the past five years, but vacant posts of doctors and other medical staff have crippled services.
QUALITY EDUCATION Himachal has more than 2,000 government and private educational institutions. But poor results besiege most schools and teachers are seldom held responsible. During the previous BJP rule, more than a dozen private universities were built but quality education is still a dream for many students in Himachal.
LAW AND ORDER
The BJP spoke about the state’s deteriorating law and order during its poll campaign, giving examples of the gang rape and murder of a schoolgirl in Kotkhai, and the killing of forest guard Hoshiyar Singh in Mandi. The cases dented the state police image. Thakur will have to restore people’s faith in police.