Main contest in Himachal Pradesh Assembly polls is between Congress and BJP, says Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu

AAP’s entry in Himachal Pradesh is like that of other third parties before it, says Congress’s campaign committee chief

Campaign committee chief for the Congress in Himachal Pradesh, Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, speaks to The Hindu’s Nistula Hebbar on the upcoming Assembly polls in the hill State.

In a democracy, whichever party enters the fray, they are free to do so. This is not the first time it’s happening in Himachal Pradesh that a third party, other than the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party [BJP], has tried to enter the contest, especially in the Assembly polls. Last time, there was a Morcha [Loktantrik Morcha Himachal Pradesh], which took 4-5% of votes. Before that, Pandit Sukh Ram’s party was there, which took around 6% of the vote, etc. Many times, people who don’t get tickets from the main two parties, join such outfits. You will see that in the next couple of months, hardly anyone will join the AAP. Close to the polls, on being denied tickets, many hopefuls will join such outfits. The people of Himachal also know this.

During the Assembly polls, two [types of] Congress and BJP [candidates] are in the fray — those who get party tickets, [and] others who switch over or fight independently. This always happens but the contest is always between the two main parties.

I believe that it’s after 40 years that we are getting new leadership in the Himachal Congress. It was in 1982 that Vir Bhadra Singh- ji became Chief Minister and occupied leadership positions. Now, I have been appointed as campaign committee chief. For us, power is not an end in itself, we want to come to power to make a difference to the system and to governance. We are going ask for votes for a chance to effect that systemic change.

She is also part of the new leadership. She has been an MP representing the party and now she has been made State unit chief. She represents the Congress’ ideology and the new team around her reflects the same. Our aim is to dislodge the Jairam Thakur-led BJP government, and the bypoll results of last year have made it clear that the people of Himachal, who are an aware electorate, understand the somnolent nature of that government.

Himachal Pradesh, despite not having a huge population, has the fifth highest unemployment rate. We will bring in programmes to address that issue of not just providing employment, but self-employment.

For a total of 1,800 posts of junior office assistants, two lakh youth competed, and there is regular cheating, [and a] paper leak mafia that’s subverting the recruitment process. We will clean that up.