‘I don’t regret the past, don’t worry about the future and live in the present’
On July 4, Pushkar Singh Dhami took oath as the 11th Chief Minister of Uttarakhand after Tirath Singh Rawat resigned from the post, having served for a highly controversial four months. In conversation with india today’s Group Editorial Director Raj Chengappa and Senior Editor Anilesh S. Mahajan, Dhami says he is committed to taking forward the BJP’s development agenda and taking along everyone as a team.
Q. You are in the hotseat with elections just six months away. What are your priorities?
Certain projects initiated by my predecessors have to be completed in a time-bound manner. Then, we have to fill 24,000 vacancies in the state departments. I’ve instructed officials to follow a timetable, so that we finish by end-2021.
Q. In four months, the BJP has changed chief ministers twice despite a decisive mandate in 2017. What will be your message for the electorate?
Since 2014, when PM Narendra Modi took charge at the Centre, Uttarakhand has been getting its share of development projects. If you visit Dehradun or pilgrimage sites in Badrinath or Gangotri, or remote areas like Pithoragarh, the development work is visible on ground. Work on the Karnaprayag-Rishikesh railway track and the Kedarnath reconstruction project is in full swing. Plus, the BJP government has taken social schemes like Ayushman Bharat, PM Awas Yojana, Swacch Bharat and others to the remotest parts of the state.
Q. Development aside, how will you explain the need to change chief ministers again and again?
In the BJP, we fight elections as a team. I’ll try my best and I’m confident people will see my work. With my appointment, the mood has changed in the cadre as well as the electorate.
Q. Chief ministers often have a vision for transforming their state. What are your unique ideas for the development of Uttarakhand?
I’m the son of a soldier and I’ve inherited qualities of discipline and punctuality from my parents. My vision is to make Uttarakhand an adarsh (ideal) state. With the Centre’s help, we’ll set up farm infrastructure like cold storages and warehouses. We’ve already made changes in the bureaucracy—there’s a new chief secretary.
Q. Tourists are flocking here again and the Kanwar Yatra is due soon. But a third wave of the pandemic also looms. How will you deal?
We’ll soon announce a relief package for the hospitality sector. Our government is also fully committed to saving lives. As per current SOPs, hotels are operating at 50 per cent capacity and negative RT-PCR reports are mandatory to enter the state. The Kanwar Yatra is a sensitive issue. We are in conversation with the governments of UP, Haryana and Delhi. No god will be pleased to see devotees suffer.
Q. Where’s the money for all the relief and development projects you talk about?
For many of these projects, central government agencies will bear the bulk of the expenditure. I’ve already met 12 key ministers at the Centre asking for assistance. I’ve also been in touch with the prime minister—he understands the state and is guiding me.
Q. You are the youngest and juniormost in the cabinet. How hard is it to lead, with all these camps and factions in the state BJP? There is no such challenge. I’m meeting all senior leaders for their guidance and cooperation. One should have the skill to take everyone along—that’s team spirit. I work hard: rise at 5 am and work beyond midnight. I live in the present, don’t regret the past and don’t worry about the future. I give 100 per cent to the task at hand. The rest is up to god and the people of my state. I didn’t lobby to become CM.
Q. With your elevation, it appears the BJP will bring in a lot of new faces to deal with anti-incumbency in the state.
That will be decided by the party.
Q. Do you feel threatened by the Congress or AAP in Uttarakhand?
The opposition has no credibility in the state. The state’s re-energised youth has already burst their bubble. The response I’m getting from the youth is overwhelming. They understand I’ve been brought in to further their agenda—be it about jobs or their participation in the state’s development.