Prem Kumar Dhumal: ‘Sukhu govt could have collapsed on its own … BJP acted hastily … Repeated bypolls not good’

"I was not aware that the BJP was going to induct the six rebels ... With time, parties change, leadership changes, and the working style of leaders also changes," says former Himachal Pradesh CM

prem kumar dhumal, himachal bypolls, anurag thakur

Prem Kumar Dhumal is the father of five-time Hamirpur MP and former Union Minister Anurag Thakur (Express Photo)

Former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister and veteran BJP leader Prem Kumar Dhumal, 80, believes that despite having a full majority in the Assembly, dissidence and resentment within the Congress will pose a challenge for the state government. Though the BJP is a cadre-based party where suggestions of party workers is must, Dhumal said he was not aware of the BJP’s move to induct six rebel Congress MLAs and three Independents into the party fold. Dhumal, father of five-time Hamirpur MP and former Union Minister Anurag Thakur, is largely confined to his house in Samirpur village due to health complications.

Excerpts:

Your son Anurag Thakur was not inducted in the Union Cabinet despite winning the Hamirpur seat for the fifth time. How do you see it?

Who will be inducted in the Cabinet and what responsibility will be given to whom is the prerogative of the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister. A cadre must do the duty whatever was given to him by the high command. I know that Anurag has not been given a Cabinet berth but he has yet to discuss it with me. We rarely discuss these matters.

The BJP was reduced from 303 Lok Sabha seats in 2019 to 240 this time. What went wrong?

Our party must have conducted a survey to understand why it lost seats. I think minorities did not support the BJP this time. Ticket distribution could also be a reason. The Opposition successfully launched its propaganda and managed to convince SC-ST, OBCs and others that if the BJP won 400 seats, they will change the Constitution, which was not true. The BJP has to learn many things from the results.

Story continues below this ad

When the BJP inducted the six Congress rebels, veteran leaders in Himachal said BJP was now not a party of principles. What do you think?

The BJP is a cadre-based party and such a party always takes opinion and feedback from the cadre. I don’t know about others but I was not aware that the BJP was going to induct the six rebels. I was also not aware of the party’s decision of inducting the three Independent MLAs. With time, parties change, leadership changes, and the working style of leaders also changes.

Six bypolls in the state were held in June and three others will be held today. How do you see this?

This Congress government led by Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu could have collapsed on its own after the Rajya Sabha elections in February. I think our party acted hastily. Repeated bypolls in a mountainous state such as Himachal Pradesh, which has its own challenges, is not good.

Despite having a majority in the house with 38 MLAs, do you think the Congresss government is stable?

Sukhu has a majority but the dissidence, resentment, and dissatisfaction among the Congress MLAs are still very much there. I will not make personal comments but it will surely be a challenge for Sukhu to take all along.