Campaigning in the
on-going general elections has been hi-tech even as the kind of language our politicians
use makes new lows with each passing day. Big rallies, road shows, interviews,
chat shows, advertisements, social media, para gliders and many more are being used
to entice the voter. High flying, larger than life netas are playing to the
gallery, spewing venom against their adversaries like actors do against the
enemy in a patriotic Bollywood war movie, leaving the common man wondering
whether our real enemy is across our country’s borders or amongst our own netas.
Amid the blitzkrieg, actual
state and constituency specific issues that ought to have been discussed are forgotten.
Congress, which had won all the five parliamentary seats in Uttarakhand in 2009
and is also the party in power in the state, would like us to believe that by
laying 3000 foundation stones in 32 days (i.e. 93 per day) Chief Minister
Harish Rawat has not only ensured that the development of our state is just
round the corner, but has also presented a model of development for the rest of
the country to emulate!
There is no mention of the
work done by its MPs in parliament, for the state and for their constituencies
during their tenures in the 15th Lok Sabha. Though huge amounts of
money were spent when Vijay Bahuguna was Chief Minister in advertising Rs. 7000
crore package obtained by the state following the Kedarnath devastation last
year, much is not known about the progress of rehabilitation works underway,
except for the construction of the yatra road.
There are no policies for creation
of adequate opportunities for local folks in the hills to stop their migration
in search of livelihood, or putting in place adequate medical, educational, infrastructural
and other facilities there. Canvassing is centred on “get CM free with MP”,
“your one vote elects two” and subsidised LPG cylinders, instead.
Candidates fielded by Congress have
among their ranks two sitting MPs and one minister in the state cabinet who
have track records for voters to analyse and take a call on.
Renuka Rawat (Haridwar) and Saket
Bahuguna (Tehri) are its other candidates. Congress’s official website
describes Rawat as
“an active social and political worker who wishes to remove disparity among
different sections of society” and Bahuguna as “a young congress leader who has
been instrumental in helping students in their woes against the administration
and believes in bringing education to the youth of Uttarakhand to ensure a
better future for them”.
That they have the right dynastic credentials,
being wife of CM Harish Rawat and son of former CM Vijay Bahuguna respectively,
is conveniently not cited. It is also not clear whether the selected candidates
have actually done some work in the state in their areas of interest or have mere
“wishes and beliefs” intended to be acted upon only if they are elected.
Off the record, seniors
in Congress admit that the selection of Rawat and Bahuguna ahead of old
loyalists has not gone down well with long time party members and is likely to adversely
affect the prospects of the party.
Among the candidates
fielded by the Aam Aadmi Party, Kanchan Chaudhary Bhattacharya (Haridwar) and
Anoop Nautiyal (Tehri) have impressive profiles and have excelled in their
professions. But given the immaturity that Kejriwal and other top guns of their
party have been displaying, and the fact that the anti-corruption plank has
been abandoned for the sake of votes, their performance will be the outcome of
their personal strength alone. Will they pull off a surprise win? Extremely
unlikely, though they can potentially upset the result if they manage to get a significant
number of votes.
For BJP, it is payback
time for the 2009 setback. With three former Chief Ministers amongst its contenders,
an upbeat and united cadre, and the fact that the state government has
practically no achievements to showcase, BJP is in the driver’s seat and is set
to have an impressive outing.
Former Chief Minister,
four-time MP and BJP candidate from Pauri Garhwal Bhuwan Chandra Khanduri
undisputedly stands tallest among all contestants in fray. An epitome of integrity,
authenticity, capability, simplicity and hard work, few can match his accomplishments
on the battleground or in the public arena.
As Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Road
Transport and Highways, Khanduri planned and executed India's most
ambitious ever road infrastructure project - the Golden Quadrilateral (GQ)
Highway Network connecting the four metros – for the
NDA government. A record 23,814 km of national highways were added to
the existing NH network during his tenure, which remains till date the largest
construction of national highways during any five-year period since
independence.
His two tenures as
Chief Minister may not have been spectacular, but were scandal free. Under him,
Uttarakhand became the first state in the country to enact and pass the
Lokayukta Bill. He has discharged numerous other duties for his party in and
outside the parliament without any controversy.
Khanduri is a rare
politician in present-day India, a perfect role model for all to emulate. We ought
to be proud of him.
(Published in Garhwal Post on 2nd May 2014)
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