On Congress Prospects, Himachal Chief Minister Points To BJP History

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, told NDTV today that what mattered in the country was the survival of democracy, not the prospects of the Congress.

Asked about the trajectory of the Congress in the last round of state elections, Mr Sukhu told NDTV, "The Congress government may be formed or not. It does not matter. What matters is that democracy should survive".

In a democratic country, regional parties can form government if not the Congress.

"But the Congress is still is the principal opposition party. But don't write off the Congress yet. The BJP was once in this situation. Now their numbers are up. Transitions happen in democracy. You have to see all this is perspective," added the Chief Minister, who has been leading the state since the party's massive victory in the state in December 2022.

Talking of his government's achievements in the state in the wide ranging interview, he spoke of a new law that makes orphans the wards of the state. "Our government made the first such law," he said.
His government, he said, had promised to provide one lakh jobs per year. This year, they have provided 20,000 government jobs and more in other fields.

Going forward, he said the state is focussing on green initiatives, including the production of green energy.

"We have a deal with Oil India Limited for green hydrogen. For that, the bidding process has started. …  Himachal will be the first state to run its power plants with green energy… we are also getting into solar energy, hydro energy. We have to exploit hydro to become self-reliant Himachal," he added.