In the Assembly elections in Uttarakhand, the Congress is confident of capitalising on the scam-tainted ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which had to go for a makeover by replacing Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ with former chief minister BC Khanduri, just months away from the polls.
In its election manifesto, which was released on Friday, the Congress, while unleashing a bag of goodies for the state, has also hammered the list of scams dogging the BJP regime – the Mahakumbh scam, the Sterdia land scam, the SAF Winter Games and the misuse of the disaster relief fund.
Congress MP from Tehri Garhwal, Vijay Bahuguna, said, “The Congress is in a strong position, especially in the hills where we have 34 constituencies. The BJP will be on a weak plank here.”(Click here for STATE OF THE NATION: UTTARAKHAND)
The BJP on the other hand is banking on the clean image of Chief Minister BC Khanduri, a retired army officer. Party is projecting Khanduri as one with an impeccable record. Senior BJP leaders believe that in the past four-and-a-half-months of chief ministership, Khanduri has taken several steps, including the new Lokayukta Bill which was praised by Anna Hazare’s team members, the new transfer policy and the implementation of citizens’ charter in the state which is a first in the country.
Soon after taking charge as CM, Khanduri organised the ‘Atal Chaupal’ and ensured that senior bureaucrats of the state visited each district to hear the grievances of the people and take measures for redressal at the earliest.
The state government has also implemented the ‘Atal Khadyan Yojna’ in the state which gives 35 kg of rice to the poor. The expenditure for this is borne by the state government, though the public distribution system also gives food grains to those below the poverty line.
While the BJP believes that it has covered much ground by bringing in Khanduri, who himself managed to ensure that his government brings in a range of legislations, starting with the Lokayukta Bill; to fight corruption, the Congress rubbishes these last minute attempts of the incumbent regime at cleansing its image.
In fact, the Congress has successfully managed to contain a potentially damaging factor, Congress veteran ND Tewari. Tewari who was out in the cold, after his unceremonious exit from the Andhra Pradesh Raj Bhavan, surprised everybody with his renewed vigour as state elections were announced. He threatened to disrupt all Congress poll calculations by fielding his loyalists against the party, bolstered by the fact that he has immense popular support in the state.
“It was surprising,” said a senior Congress leader, “The entire sex scandal in Hyderabad had no negative impact on his standing in the state. In fact, locals believe that it was a conspiracy to defame him. Therefore, we had no option but to ensure that he is with us rather than against us.”
Subsequently, the Congress accommodated Tewari’s OSD, Arendra Sharma, and his nephew Manish Tewari. The Uddhampur district from where Manish Tewari is contesting, incidentally, has been a stronghold of Tewari, and the Congress could not afford to gamble on this as it comprises nine Assembly segments.
With unemployed youth forming a large segment of voters, the party has promised unemployment allowance, ranging from Rs 750 to Rs 2,250 a month, if it is voted to power.
As large scale migration of labour threatens the economy of the state, the Congress has also promised sops to farmers having small land holdings, such as encouraging organic cultivation through certification of organic produce that would fetch better prices.
Another similar poll promise geared at farmers is the development of a seed processing zone in the fertile Terai region.
