Khanduri reluctant to be BJP’s face for state polls

Former Uttarakhand chief minister BC Khanduri has expressed his reluctance to become the BJP’s face for the upcoming assembly election, saying he was concerned about the state’s development and would support any party that strives to achieve that objective.

“I will think about that (BJP’s CM nominee) when such an offer comes…But what is the use? What happened when I led the party in the last (2012) assembly election?” said Khanduri.

“They ensured my defeat and made the party lose election in seven other assembly constituencies,” he told HT, referring to the rivals in the party.

Khanduri’s statement came at a time when the BJP is yet to finalise its chief ministerial face for the upcoming assembly election.

Party insiders said that a number of BJP leaders vying to grab the crucial position was another reason why the leadership was fighting shy of announcing the name. “Our central leadership fears that declaring a mascot for the assembly polls might end up fuelling infighting within the party,” said a state BJP leader.

The party was also ambivalent on the issue, he added, thanks to its inability to find a leader who could match the stature of chief minister Harish Rawat who is likely to lead the ruling Congress in the elections.

“The party is trying to corner Rawat on the issue of corruption but is not finding a clean face who could give an edge to its election campaign against him,” the leader said. “That is why most of our central leaders feel that the party (BJP) could have that edge over Rawat, if Khanduri is projected as its CM face.”

But the ageing former chief minister doesn’t appear keen to lead the party. “I am positively oriented towards the development and welfare of the people of the state. So, I will support any person or any party that is committed to work for its (state) development,” Khanduri said.

He said both the Congress and the BJP that have alternately been ruling the hill state since its inception in 2000 miserably failed to fulfill the people’s aspirations for development. “And when I say that, I also include my two tenures as the chief minister,” he said.

“On my part, however, I can only say that I tried to put the state on the path of development in keeping with the people’s aspirations and also tried to end corruption,” said Khanduri, who got the Lokayukta Bill passed in the assembly during his regime.

“Similarly, I brought in a series of other anti-corruption measures like the Right to Services Act, and the rotationbased transfer policy,” he said, accusing chief minister Rawat of having reversed all those initiatives.

I am positively oriented towards the development and welfare of the people of the state. So, I will support any person or any party that is committed to work for its development BC KHANDURI, former chief minister