Tried building ideologically strong cadres: Sukhu

HP Congress Committee (HPCC) president Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu (54) has risen from the ranks to reach the top post and has the distinction of heading all three main party outfits — NSUI, Youth Congress as well as the state Congress.

A three-time MLA from Nadaun Assembly segment in Hamirpur district, he has dared to take on the might of former CM Virbhadra Singh, who has never missed out any opportunity to display his abhorrence for the Congress chief. It is probably his steadfastness in opposing the personalised politics of Virbhadra that won appreciation for Sukhu from at least Virbhadra’s detractors, who, too, did not dare to take on the veteran leader.

His appointment as party chief has been vehemently opposed by former CM Virbhadra Singh right from day one, but unaffected, Sukhu stuck on and tried to bring alive the organisation, which was not very active due to older and relatively inactive presidents, heading the party in the past.

Having started his electoral politics in 1993 as a Congress councillor for two terms till 2003, Sukhu remained the NSUI president from 1989 to 1995 and state Youth Congress chief from 1998 to 2008. In an interview with Special Correspondent Pratibha Chauhan, Sukhu shared his experiences and his political journey.

You have been the party chief for the last over five years. Today, when there is a talk of a possible change, what in your opinion are your biggest achievements?

I have put in my best efforts to strengthen the party right from the grassroots level, which had not been done in a big way in the last 30 years. I have tried to build ideologically strong cadres — be it in the NSUI, Youth Congress or in the Congress and activated various cells and departments. 

Young and dedicated party workers, not necessarily from political background, were given responsibilities and party positions. I ensured that those who were committed and spared time for party affairs were made office-bearers. I did away with the tradition of having jumbo-sized executive bodies having up to 150 office-bearers. I restricted the number to 31 in the Block Congress Committee (BCC) and 41 in District Congress Committee (DCC). I ensured that all party organisations and wings were self-sustaining, as I encouraged contributions from party cadres even if in small amounts. This also brought in an element of belongingness and responsibility.

I even incurred the displeasure of some senior leaders like Asha Kumari, Sudhir Sharma, GS Bali and Prakash Chaudhary, all ministers in the Virbhadra regime, by dissolving their BCC as the party trailed by 5,000 to 10,000 votes in their segments. We have to make the party cadres accountable for better results, as there is no place for complacency.

Sharp differences between Virbhadra and you have in the past damaged the party. Will this not dampen the Lok Sabha poll prospects of the party?

As far as I am concerned, I respect Virbhadra but probably it is my plain and blunt talk that makes him uncomfortable. I have always tried to work in the interest of the party and not individuals, which could be the basic difference in me and Virbhadra. For me, the organisation and party is supreme and not any individual, be it me or anyone else.

Virbhadra indulges in power driven politics, while I believe in struggle-driven politics. However, both of us belong to the same party and our common objective is to defeat the communal-fascist forces like the BJP. We have in the past and in future worked for the victory of the hand (Congress symbol), notwithstanding the difference of opinion.

How do you visualise Congress prospects in the Lok Sabha elections due next year?

I firmly believe that the Congress Party now has a much stronger organisational set up than the BJP. If the candidate selection for the parliamentary polls is done on the winnability and loyalty factors, there is no reason why we cannot win all four seats.

We have constituted 7,400 booth-level committees, having five to 11 members each. Our party cadres are taking forward the programmes launched by the party to make people aware about the failures of the Modi regime. Be it the promise of generating 2 crore jobs annually, bringing back black money stashed in foreign banks or demonetisation, the BJP-led Modi regime has failed on all fronts. There is just political rhetoric and false promises with no results.

Price rise is another issue, which will go against the NDA regime. The big scam in purchase of Rafale fighter planes has put a big question mark on the integrity of the NDA regime. The performance of the four BJP MPs has been dismal. While Shanta Kumar has been promising the setting up of a cement plant in Chamba for the last 30 years, Mandi MP Ram Swaroop has not bothered to raise state  issues in parliament. The four villages adopted by these MPs are still crying for even basic facilities like water, power and road connectivity, which reflects their casual approach towards public.

How do you rate the performance of the Jai Ram government in the state?

Good governance and administrative acumen have been major casualties during the present regime. The CM has failed to check the deteriorating law and order situation and the spurt in crime is a clear indicator of this. It is probably for the first time in the history of Himachal that an official was shot dead while performing duty in Kasauli during a demolition drive.

Increasing drug addiction and trafficking of narcotics is another cause of worry. The government has failed to take concrete action despite the Congress assuring the CM full support. The situation is very grim and we need to take some drastic steps to save our youth from falling prey to the menace of drugs.

What were the main factors for Congress defeat in 2017? 

I don’t deny the fact that the organisation was not taken into confidence when the Congress was in power from 2012 to 2017. Some unfortunate incidents like the rape and murder of a 16-year-old girl from Kotkhai and the incidents that followed, dented the image and people lost faith in the government.

The fact that there was discrimination in giving funds and development schemes to Assembly segments led to resentment among people, as only a handful of constituencies got the entire focus and attention.

There is a talk of change in the state party chief, as you have completed a five-year stint. Do you feel it would be appropriate to change you at this stage when elections are round the corner?

Appointing or removing anyone is solely the prerogative of the AICC President Rahul Gandhi. I am party’s loyal soldier and will perform whatever duty is assigned to me. I will serve the party irrespective of any post, as I am a dedicated soldier and protecting the interest of the party is my duty.