Interview: Voters were troubled by the misrule of BJP, says Pratibha Singh

In a conversation with HT, the Himachal Congress chief said bringing the state’s economy on track will be the biggest challenge and assured people that the government will bring back the old pension scheme in its first cabinet meeting.

As the Congress secured a simple majority in Himachal Pradesh on Thursday, state unit chief Pratibha Singh said the chief minister will be picked by the party high command. In an interview to Gaurav Bisht, Singh said bringing the state’s economy on track will be the biggest challenge and assured people that the government will bring back the old pension scheme in its first cabinet meeting.

Himachal Pradesh Congress president Pratibha Singh in Shimla. (PTI)

Edited excerpts:

Who do you credit for the emphatic victory in Himachal?

The credit goes to the party workers, whose untiring efforts have led to the victory of the Congress in the state. In this victory, Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge, national general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and chief minister of Chhattisgarh, Bhupesh Baghel, in charge of state affairs, all contributed. The credit also goes to all the secretaries in charge of the All India Congress Committee, including Rajeev Shukla, who enthused the party workers, as well as the people of the state. It’s a collective effort of the party.

What factors worked in favour of the Congress? Was it issues like the old pension scheme, inflation and unemployment?

The people were troubled by the BJP’s misrule, corruption, rising inflation and unemployment and this is the reason why people voted out the BJP in the state. The old pension of the employees was also a big issue in the state. The BJP did not pay heed to the demands of the employees, rather it hoodwinked them. The Congress will fulfil all its election promises. The Congress government will restore the old pensions of the employees in its first cabinet meeting. Effective steps will also be taken to deal with unemployment.

Do you think the people voted for Virbhadra Singh’s legacy or was it the anti-incumbency against the government?

Even though former chief minister of the state, the late Virbhadra Singh, is no longer with us, the people of the state still remember him fondly and have great respect for him. On one hand, former chief minister, the late Dr Yashwant Singh Parmar, is remembered as an architect of the state, and on the other hand Virbhadra Singh is known as the architect of modern Himachal Pradesh. There is a huge section in the state that even today votes for the Congress in the name of Virbhadra Singh. There was no achievement of the BJP government in the state in the name of which it sought votes. Both the engines of the BJP, in what is claimed a double-engine government, failed. During its tenure, the BJP inaugurated the same schemes that were started by the former Virbhadra Singh government.

Who will be the chief minister? You have also been staking claim to the post?

Whoever the Congress high command wants will become the chief minister. The choice of chief minister lies with the party’s high command. I was fielded for the Mandi parliamentary by-election in the state, just a few days after Virbhadra Singh’s demise. It was difficult for the family to bear the loss. Despite that, I contested the Mandi bypolls on the directions of the party’s high command. I won the election by a huge margin. The high command reposed faith in me and further gave me the responsibility to lead the party. I toured the state extensively to enthuse voters. I addressed more than 44 public meetings in the assembly elections. The Congress sought votes from people on its development work, and the people have put their stamp on it.

Are you committed to fulfilling the promises made to employees? What will be the challenges for the new government?

The Congress will fulfil whatever promises it has made to the people. Whatever responsibility the Congress high command will give to me in the future, I will fulfil them with full devotion. Bringing the state’s economy back on track will be the biggest challenge. The state is in debt of more than ₹74,000 crore. Due to financial mismanagement, today, the state’s economy is in a mess. The Congress will improve financial management.