The Himachal Pradesh Congress chief and the wife of the late Virbhadra Singh, who headed the state six times, Pratibha Singh is considered one of the frontrunners to be Chief Minister if the Congress wins. She talks about the Congress chances, the absence of Virbhadra Singh and on the infighting issue. Excerpts:
* The Congress is invoking the memory of the late Virbhadra Singh in its rallies. How important is the former CM for attracting voters and propelling the party in the state?
SINGH: Even though he is no more, wherever you go and talk about him, people get very emotional. There was great attachment for him across all sections of society. He looked after everybody. People remember him fondly. We won the 2021 by-elections solely due to this reason.
In these elections too, we may have other stalwarts in the campaign, but I think only Virbhadra Singh’s name makes a difference. After his death, people think they have lost a fatherly figure and have been orphaned. He was so accessible that they could walk into his home or office any time with their problems.
* As president of the state unit, what has your strategy been for fighting this time?
SINGH: Whoever the chief minister from the Congress — Dr Y S Parmar, Ram Lalji or Virbhadra Singh — they all concentrated on development of Himachal. Virbhadraji had a good connect with Soniaji (Sonia Gandhi), and whenever she came to the state, she was alerted about the problems of the hill state. She always used to promise that she would arrange for the Centre’s financial help, and she did. All this infrastructure development in the state happened due to Central help.
CM Jai Ram Thakur too has the blessings of Modiji. He could have done so much. Yet, we are under a debt of several thousand crores. He could have asked the Prime Minister for help, given the number of times Narendra Modi has visited our state. Modi would have given something. Why not? Lekin inhone maanga hee nahin (But he did not ask for it.)
I remember once former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee had come to Prini and was addressing a public event where he recalled his friendship with Virbhadraji and asked him if anything was required. And he gave Rs 500 crore to help the state. What I mean to say is that if you won’t ask for help, how will the PM know? He did not ask and the PM did not give. Today you see the condition the state is in.
* There is a lot of infighting in the Congress over the distribution of tickets as well as among the top leadership for the CM chair. Isn’t it a drawback, heading into the polls?
SINGH: This is unfortunate. It did not happen earlier because Virbhadra Singhji was there and no one would even aspire to replace him to become the CM. But since he is not there, everyone’s hopes have risen and they feel they can be the CM.
But first one must ensure victory in the elections, first get the Congress into power. All these things will come up later. You also need to listen to elected MLAs and see who they want as CM. The high command also has a say. They are also keeping a watch on our activities. What the high command says and what they order… time will tell.
* Is the infighting restricted to some seats, or widespread?
SINGH: It is only in a few seats, not many. It was there in many others too, but those were resolved after ticket distribution, after which most of the ticket contenders did not press the matter further. We also spoke with others and told them that after we win, we will do something for them, but that if they keep revolting, we would have to take action against it. Many understood the message and stood down. Here in Manali, I had been asking for a ticket to Hari Chand, but it went to Bhuvaneshwar Gaur. I advised Hari Chand not to do anything silly. He agreed and his supporters are now wholeheartedly working for the party candidate. Yes, there are still some people who want only their own candidates to win, so that they can propel them as chief minister.
* There is a perception that the central Congress leadership is much weakened. Does it have an effect?
SINGH: Essentially, people of the state look up to local leaders, because they feel that ultimately they are the ones whom they have to reach out to for any work. Like, they see me as carrying forward Virbhadra Singh’s legacy. So if they say something to me or my family, we will listen and be available for them.
* You have been raising doubts about the functioning of EVMs in your speeches. Why is that?
SINGH: Because, a senior BJP leader told me, ‘Please be careful’, that ‘Aisa bhi ho sakta hai (this too can happen)’. I have also observed in the past elections, including for the Lok Sabha, that after there was polling in huge numbers, even a relatively unknown candidate against me got a huge number of votes. That’s unusual. And those were the days when Virbhadraji was alive. Now that the BJP knows it is losing and that the Congress has an edge, they could do something. They have money, they have power.
* In these last days of campaigning, which are the areas where you would say the Congress needs to focus more and improve?
SINGH: We are weak in Hamirpur. In Kangra, we are doing well. Shimla district is also fine and I think Solan also is going well. In Sirmaur, we have to concentrate a little more, because these people (the BJP) have disturbed the locals with the Hattee issue, though it will not make much of an impact. An election is an election. You have to be very careful till the last moment. We should not be overconfident. We have to proceed with a lot of caution.
Pratibha Singh. (File) 
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