Journalism of Courage
As he leaves Basaral village for his next public meeting venue on Monday evening, amid the raucous beats of a dhol, Congress nominee from Nadaun, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, hands over a Rs 500 currency note to the drummer, who scales up the beats. “Isko band karne ke diye hain, bajane ke nahin (I have given you money to stop beating the drum, not to keep playing it,” he tells the drummer in a jovial tone that cracks up the audience around him.
The Himachal election campaign committee head of Congress and three-time MLA, Sukhu is seeking re-election for the fourth time. Arrayed against him is the BJP’s Vijay Agnihotri.
A number of Congress nominees are projecting themselves as the party’s CM face in Himachal Pradesh if the Congress forms the government. Sukhu is considered to be among the top contenders for the post.
“Ye to bahut achhi baat hai (This is good news),” Sukhu told The Indian Express when asked about the jostling among party nominees for the CM post.
“Dekhiye, CM kaun banta hai, uski eligibility kya hai? CM woh banta jo vidhayak banta hai. Pehle vidhayak ban-na hai, phir vidhaykon ki raai leni hai, aur uske baad high command ka ashirwad se CM banta hai (Who becomes the CM? What is the eligibility to become CM? You have to first gets elected as a MLA to be in contention. Then, feedback is taken from all elected party MLAs, and finally one becomes CM with the blessings of the party high command),” he added.
“Last time [Prem Kumar] Dhumal was declared the CM face by the BJP, but he could not become MLA,” said Sukhu, adding, “There is a collective leadership in the Congress”, hence no candidate could have been announced as the CM face for the elections.
In Basaral, while claiming that the Congress was all set to form the government, he tells the gathering, “Aur Nadaun ka bhavishya bhi ujjawal hone wala hai..Jis paude ko aapne 20 saal pehle lagaya tha vo pauda aaj perh ban gaya hai. Us perh ki chhaon, aur uske meethe phal khane ka waqt Nadaun ke logon ka aa gaya hai (And future of Nadaun is also set to brighten. The plant you sowed 20 years ago has become a tree now. For the people of Nadaun, the time has come to sit under the shade of that tree and eat its sweet fruits.”
He takes a swipe at the Centre’s Agnipath scheme, saying that youth were hesitant to become Agniveers. Sukhu adds humour while sharing a story – that he saw a decline in aspirants preparing for recruitment in the Army [as Agniveers], and was told by an aspirant that many were afraid that they may face trouble getting married if the bride’s family enquires about the groom’s occupation and is told that he has retired from the Army.
“The aspirant told me that by the marriageable age of 25, he would be in a Catch 22 situation. Neither would I be eligible for higher studies, nor would I find a bride for marriage,” says Sukhu, making the gathering break into a collective laughter.
Asked about the Modi factor in the elections, Sukhu tells The Indian Express, “This is a state election and people of Himachal Pradesh know this. They will decide about the Modi factor in the 2024 [parliamentary] elections.”
On the BJP poll pitch of changing the ‘rivaaz’ this time by returning the incumbent government to power, Sukhu says, “This rivaaz hasn’t changed till date, even when there were stalwart CMs like Virbhadra Singh, Shanta Kumar and Prem Kumar Dhumal. One thing is sure and that is rule will change (raj badal jayega jaroor).”
Asked about a section of voters feeling that Congress doesn’t have any leader of stature who can compete with PM Modi at the Centre, Sukhu said, “Ye to waqt ki baat hai. Congress ki leadership bhi majboot hai, Congress ka netritava bhi majboot hai. Abhi Modi ji ka waqt hai. Abhi jo suryodaya ho raha hai, dheere dheere uske ast hone ka waqt bhi aata hai. (It’s a matter of time. The Congress leadership is strong. Right now, it is Modiji’s time. The sun that’s rising, will also have to set at some time).”
Sukhu added, “When someone is at his peak, even his mistakes are overlooked, but when someone gets a little weak, his positives are also viewed as mistakes.”
He carried on, “There are very few leaders with crystal clear thinking like Rahul Gandhiji, who can take the nation in the right direction… People have now started listening to what he says. In the coming times, he will lead the country.”
