‘Opposition jittery as people want BJP to win again’
Union minister Anurag Thakur, who is eyeing fifth consecutive term from Hamirpur, is set to file his nomination papers on Monday. Son of veteran BJP leader and former chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, Anurag is also considered a key player in Himachal politics. The BJP heavyweight speaks to Dar Ovais on the current political scenario in the hill state and his party’s poll plans. Edited excerpts:
Your opponents have claimed that after the first phases of LS polls, BJP is nervous and not talking about ‘400 par’ anymore.
The fact is that the Opposition is nervous. They know that we are getting another term and now they are trying to mislead the people by making false statements.
Why should the people of Hamirpur vote for you again?
PM Modi, in 10 years, has accomplished what the Congress could not in six decades. Another term will ensure the continuity of our development and welfare agenda. We are going to the public with a list of the achievements of the Modi government, like Make in India, from ‘fragile five’ to ‘first five’ economies, making our borders more safe and abrogation of Article 370 and 35A.
After the recent political turmoil in Himachal, BJP rivals have accused it of having started horsetrading politics in state. What’s your defence?
They could not manage their own House. Despite having 40 MLAs, they lost the Rajya Sabha seat. And if you count the Independents,
their strength was 43. We had only 25 members. Still, we won. This means they have lost confidence and have no moral authority to remain in power.
BJP lost all five seats even in a stronghold like Hamirpur in 2022 assembly polls. What went wrong?
We have done course correction on whatever the shortcomings were there. On Saturday, thousands of people came out in support of BJP during the Vijay Sankalp Yatra in Hamirpur. It clearly shows that people have made uptheir minds. They want BJP to win with a thumping majority.
Do you envision your future political trajectory leading you towards Himachal?
I’m very happy to be an MP from Hamirpur. As an MP, I have never restricted myself to just Hamirpur. It doesn’t matter if I am a central minister or a chief minister. I am a political worker of the BJP and if they ask me to contest today and campaign tomorrow, I will do that.
INDIA bloc leaders have been raking up Agniveer scheme and have promised to abolish it after assuming power. What’s your take?
We have fulfilled the promise to ex-servicemen by bringing ‘One Rank, One Pension’ (OROP). We have strengthened the armed forces by providing them with the latest fighter jets, warships and weapons. We have built 6,800 km of roads in border areas. As far as Agniveer is concerned, thousands of youth had turned up during the recruitment drive. It shows their interest in the scheme.