Q&A: B C Khanduri, General of Uttarakhand

'Good work is our biggest poll plank'

B C Khanduri, popularly called the General of Uttarakhand, is back at the helm of affairs in the hill state as part of BJP’s well-planned poll strategy. He talks to Shishir Prashant about his priorities and targets.

What are your priorities now keeping in mind the Assembly election is only four months away?
We have already taken a series of steps such as creation of good governance, elimination of corruption and public service. These departments will work directly under the chief minister. I have also directed all the Cabinet ministers, IAS and IPS officers to declare their assets by October 15, in order to bring transparency in the government. Besides, we are also bringing a separate Bill to confiscate benami property earned by public servants through illegal and unfair means, on the lines of the Bihar government. We are also bringing a strong and effective Lok Ayukta Bill.

We have a lot to do, though we will have a very short time. It’s a race against time as bringing new policies in such a short duration would be very difficult.

Would you review the hill-based industrial policy brought in 2008, keeping in view big industries have kept themselves away?
We want only green industries due to the high fragility of the hills. We don’t want any big industry there. We want smaller industries, which use locally available resources and are environment-friendly. For example, we have potatoes. We would like industries which could do some value addition such as manufacture chips, etc.

In the very first year, we received proposals worth Rs 200 crore. But if there are some shortcomings, there is always a scope for review.

What is happening in the power sector, which is considered to be a growth driver for the hill state?
We will sit and see what can be done further in the sector. We had made a policy in 2008, especially for small hydel projects. The case related to allotment of 56 hydel projects is pending before the Supreme Court. Let the verdict come, we will decided accordingly.

What is your stand on the announcement for the creation of four new districts in the state?
This has nothing to do with my stand. The announcement was made by the government, and it has to be implemented. The process is on as a lot of exercise and data have to be collected. We are hopeful that these districts will take shape as early as possible.

Have you thought about creating any more new districts, in addition to these four?
There are no consultations going on in this regard. Nor have we thought about this. If there is a need, we will think later.

At a time when you are taking steps against corruption, the Opposition is levelling corruption charges against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state.
In politics, there are two things — one is you level allegations and the other is you prove these allegations. If you have some basis, you can move to court. We also level allegations and they — the Opposition — also throw charges against us. But unless we have some proof, we cannot proceed. So, there is no question of ordering any inquiry. In some cases, the cases are still pending before the court.

What happened to the 56 alleged scandals of the previous Congress government which are being inquired by your government.
Yes, the inquiry is on. Justice B C Kandpal report is here. We will surely take action.

As the elections are round the corner, will you seek a re-election from Dhumakot or shift constituency elsewhere?
It is for my party to decide where I should contest the election from.

Will the BJP fight Assembly elections alone or go for a tie-up with the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal, which is sharing power with the party?
In my opinion, the BJP should fight the elections alone. But the final decision will be taken by the party high command.

What will be the key poll planks of the BJP in the coming elections?
We have done a lot of good work during the past four years. This will be our biggest poll plank. In addition, we will rake up the issue of price hike. People are looking towards the BJP with high hopes, as they are reeling under the impact of soaring prices of essential commodities.

Will there be any new policy decision in the coming days?
As I said, we will concentrate on the work done during the past four years. We cannot come with a new policy as we are short on time.