Won’t need rebels, will form govt on our own: BJP Himachal in-charge Avinash Rai Khanna

Aditi Tandon

New Delhi, November 17

The BJP today said that it would form government on its own strength in Himachal Pradesh and would not need the support of rebels.

BJP Himachal in-charge Avinash Rai Khanna, while speaking to The Tribune, said that the party was “coming to power on December 8, the counting day, with a comfortable majority and the Congress was daydreaming about its prospects”.

The Congress, too, has claimed a reasonable edge in Himachal with Leader of the Opposition Mukesh Agnihotri expecting the party to win 45 seats or more in the 68-member House.

‘Govternment staff knew Cong can’t deliver on OPS’

The Congress tried to use the OPS issue as a weapon in the elections but employees had understood that the Opposition party could not deliver. The governments of Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan have announced OPS restoration but done nothing. —Avinash Rai Khanna, BJP Himachal in-charge

Khanna disagreed with the Congress’ claim and said, “The Congress’ assessment is based on perceptions as against the BJP’s assessment, which is based on development works that are visible on the ground.”

He termed the “fight against a four-decade old narrative of anti-incumbency” as the BJP’s top challenge in the elections. He said, “We fought elections to form government again and create history. We had planned well in advance to achieve that goal. We will better our tally of 2017 when we had won 44 seats and received the support of two Independent candidates as well.”

The BJP veteran said that coordination between the state government and the party organisation was unprecedented and the party began its campaign soon after the last day for withdrawal. He added that the party held rallies in all 68 segments and door-to-door campaigns led by BJP national president JP Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

On the old pension scheme (OPS), Khanna said, “The Congress attempted to use the issue as a weapon in the elections but employees had understood that the opposition party could not deliver. The Congress governments in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan have announced OPS restoration but have not done anything.”

Asked if the party would bank on rebels if push came to shove on December 8, he said “the situation won’t arise”.

Khanna said, “Higher voting by women compared to men and higher voting in lower Himachal as compared to upper areas are major positive signals for us, besides voter mobilisation on the election day.”

On defeat in four byelections last year (one Lok Sabha and three Assembly) that came close on the heels of former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh’s demise, he said “people have forgotten those BJP losses”.

Khanna said, “Those losses were an eye opener. We course-corrected by dropping 11 sitting MLAs and shifting some based on feedback from mandals right to the state level.” He added that in a cadre-based party like the BJP, rebels did not matter. The party did not need their support.

Asked how he viewed the Himachal elections, Khanna said, “These will be a potential turning point in the state’s history. Electors in Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Manipur and Uttarakhand had voted for development over perceptions earlier this year. There is no reason why Himachal won’t follow suit.”

Asked whether Jai Ram Thakur will be Chief Minister should the BJP get re-elected, Khanna said, “The last word will be of the central parliamentary board after the MLAs choose their leader.”