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Journalism of Courage
The two-time chief minister of Himachal Pradesh and three-time Member of Parliament Prem Kumar Dhumal may not have been fielded by the BJP, but he appears to have not taken it to heart. Upholding the dictum that politicians don’t retire, he is out campaigning for party candidates in his home turf of Hamirpur district on Sunday.
He says he had suggested to the party that it should announce a pension scheme for at least Class IV government employees that would enable them to lead a “comfortable life” after retirement. Speaking to The Indian Express while on the campaign trail, moments ahead of the release of the BJP’s election manifesto, which was silent on the old pension scheme (OPS), he says: “Today we are issuing the vision document. There may be some solution to it. I feel we should promise a minimum pension to Class IV employees, those who don’t get a good pension, like Rs 10,000 per month, so that they are able to lead life comfortably.”
Asked if his suggestion would be included in the BJP manifesto, Dhumal says, “I don’t know. This is my personal opinion. I have discussed with certain employees also. They agree to this.”
The Congress, on the other hand, has promised to restore the OPS.
Dhumal is on his way to campaign in favour of party candidates from Sujanpur and Hamirpur, where he is scheduled to address at least 10 public meetings. Despite the denial of ticket, he continues to be one of the tallest figures of the BJP in Himachal Pradesh, with people making a beeline to welcome him wherever he goes. The 78-year-old, whose son and Union minister Anurag Thakur is seen as a rising star, claims he himself told the BJP he didn’t want to contest.
In Siswan village near his native Samirpur village, he is welcomed with slogans of “Dhumal ji ko Jai Shri Ram”, as people line up to garland him and touch his feet. BJP activists also raise slogans in favour of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party nominee from Sujanpur, Captain Ranjit Singh Rana (retired). But most of the praise by local leaders is reserved for Dhumal.
In his address, a local leader says Dhumal had gifted the ticket to party nominee Captain Rana, and that people can “correct their mistake of 2017” by backing Captain Rana. The chief minister face of the BJP in 2017, Dhumal had lost to Rana that time. After the BJP stormed to power, Seraj MLA Jai Ram Thakur became the CM.
Asked about this, as he waves at crowds on the way to Siswan, Dhumal says: “I have no regrets, it was a party decision. I belong to a very small village, as you have seen. I was elected Lok Sabha MP thrice, and was the CM and Leader of the Opposition twice each. I feel the party has given me a lot. I am satisfied. As far as other issues are concerned, relating to party matters, I discuss those in the organisation and not in the media.”
Milap Chand, who runs a shop in Tapre village in Sujanpur constituency, says Dhumal lost in 2017 as he became “high headed”. “He is no doubt a tall leader, but was destined to lose by not connecting with the electors. While people would line up to welcome him, he would be seen talking on phone in the vehicle,” Chand says.
Had he mingled with the people the way he is doing now, Chand adds, Dhumal would have won hands down if fielded this time.
The 78-year-old former CM insists he has no such ambitions, and was only working in the constituency so that the opposition Congress would not ask: “Where is your party representative?” “As soon as the party announced the candidate and he took over, I extended my support to him,” he adds.
Not all are happy with Dhumal though. Like a section of shopkeepers along a stretch of around 12 km, where a “strategic” double lane road leading to Leh via Mandi. Dhumal’s native village Samirpur falls in Bhoranj constituency in Hamirpur district.
“I started my business in 2016 and am yet to pay back the loan. The land where my shop is located has come under acquisition. And, it is not sure when the construction will be completed,” says a local, adding that commuters face long traffic snarls.
In Siswan, after a warm greeting, as he lists achievements of the BJP government and trashes the Congress guarantees, a woman interrupts him a number of times – on inflation, costly fuel and LPG cylinders, and unemployment.
Dhumal explains that oil prices are predominantly decided by the international market and as compared to other countries, the rise in prices is much less due to “good relations of PM Narendra Modi with the Russian President (Vladimir Putin)”.
In the interruptions that locals describe as “friendly”, Dhumal, on a serious note, says that calibrated words should be used in “public meetings”. Following this, the “informal” chatter comes to an end.
Speaking to The Indian Express, he says these issues are not new. “Price rice and unemployment are common in every election,” Dhumal. “During Congress rule, inflation never came below double digits.”
Dhumal refers to the Corona pandemic and is all praise for the BJP government at the Centre for bearing all the expenses to provide relief and vaccination free of cost in the hill state.
On BJP rebels in the race, seen as posing the party a big challenge, Dhumal says: “Even a single voter going out of the fold affects the party negatively. If there are rebels, they are definitely going to harm us. But when there is the possibility of the party coming to power, a number of candidates emerge and want tickets. Some of them file papers as Independents and some join other parties. These are the hazards of the game. We have succeeded in making some candidates withdraw and are trying to ensure that others retire from the contest before actual polling. Those who continue to be in fray will definitely affect us negatively.”
