You cannot separate art from the artist: Hamirpur MP Anurag Thakur

Development is key, my parliamentary constituency today stands tall because of development across health, education, railway, roads, among other sectors, says Thakur

People have made up their mind to elect a responsive, transparent and development-oriented government, according to Anurag Thakur, Member of Parliament from Hamirpur (Himachal Pradesh) and former president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Thakur, who’s again the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from Hamirpur, spoke to Shrimi Choudhary on what could be the deciding factors on May 19 when Himachal Pradesh goes to polls. Edited excerpts:

What is your election pitch while your party is going all out on national security? 

Development is key. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the country has witnessed immense development across sectors. National security is indeed one of the most important aspects and many advancements have been undertaken to strengthen the armed forces. This has led to a significant reduction in terrorist activities. There was never a time in history when Pakistan had to think twice before conducting any act of terrorism in India. But post our strong response through surgical and air strikes, the world has come in support of India and is standing united against terrorism. 

In your constituency, will it be vote for the face of the party (Modi) or for the work you have done? 

Can you separate art from the artist? Every state, every district, every panchayat, every village, every household and every individual has benefitted under the pro-people approach of Modi- ji-led government. Like I said, development is key, my parliamentary constituency today stands tall because of development across health, education, railway, roads, among other sectors. To name some, we have had the state’s first AIIMS in Bilaspur, Central University of Himachal Pradesh, Indian Institute of Information Technology, two medical colleges, Passport Seva Kendras in Una and Hamirpur, three sanctioned railway lines, besides several national highways…. Moving beyond MPLADS, I initiated many programmes for the benefit of youth, students, women, senior citizens, daily wage earners, too. All the initiatives have had a positive impact on the stakeholders. 

Do you think it would be a tough contest for BJP this time? 

There are just a few days to go before the result. People across the country are extremely happy with the schemes and initiatives undertaken by this government. People have made up their mind and are ready to once again vote for a decisive, transparent, honest and pro-people government. 

But BJP seems to be on a back foot on the preparation of detailed project reports (DPR) with respect to national highways. What’s the status of those reports? Also, roads in Hamirpur are better than in other constituencies. Your comment? 

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways had sanctioned 61 National Highways, of which 25 are in Hamirpur. It is unfortunate that then Congress State Government, owing to political vendetta, did not prepare DPRs even for a single national highway. It’s been a year since BJP has come into power in the state and we are working on the DPRs. It is work in progress and soon the result will be on ground. 

Why has the Himachal Pradesh battalion not been constituted in the armed forces yet? 

The demand for a separate regiment or a battalion of Himachal Pradesh like Jats/Marathas has been raised consistently by different governments of Himachal Pradesh. It gathered pace after Prof. Prem Kumar Dhumal took it upon himself as a high priority subject. Our current chief minister Jai Ram Thakur has also raised the same with various army commanders. While we believe this is a priority, the Indian Army being one of the most rigorous institutions in India must be considering various pros and cons regarding this demand. But I am optimistic that a decision on this will be announced soon.