HP: BJP head exudes confidence in 'Mission Repeat,' says Congress chances are bleak

The Himachal Pradesh BJP State President Suresh Kumar Kashyap has claimed that his party will emerge as the winner in the upcoming assembly poll. He also claimed that Congress chances are bleak in the state. In an exclusive interview with ETV Bharat Regional Editor Sachin Sharma, Suresh Kashyap spoke on several issues and his plans.

Hyderabad: Himachal Pradesh BJP president Suresh Kashyap was part of the Indian Air Force for 16 years and is now leading the BJP in Himachal Pradesh and hopeful of forming the government again in 2022 assembly polls. Suresh Kashyap, who is well-educated, is currently the state president as well as an MP from Shimla Parliamentary seat. During the Lok Sabha elections 2019, he was fielded from Shimla parliamentary seat despite being an MLA, he succeeded in winning the election.

Since July 2020, he is the head of Himachal BJP and is continuously working hard for the party. In an exclusive interview with ETV Bharat Regional Editor Sachin Sharma, Suresh Kashyap spoke on several issues and his plans. The Himachal Pradesh BJP State president claimed that his party will emerge as the winner in the upcoming assembly poll.

He has also claimed that Congress in the state is in shambles. The Member of Parliament from Shimla constituency, stated that all the Congress leaders in the state are dreaming for 'CM post' however, their dreams will be shattered. Having been heading the saffron party since 2020, Kashyap has alleged that there is a big split within the Congress party and with the blessing of PM Narendra Modi and BJP President JP Nadda who hails from the same place, BJP will achieve its goal of 'Mission Repeat'.

Starting his career as a member of Panchayat Samiti, Kashyap first became a member of the Legislative Assembly in 2012 after losing in 2005 polls. Thanking the BJP leadership, Kashyap said, "Party high command trusted me and gave me this responsibility. I firmly believe that things which didn't happen in the last 40 years will happen now. As you know that Himachal Pradesh is the second home for PM, similarly, Nadda Ji is already the son of this state apart from getting all support from Anurag Thakur. With the blessings of all, the party will rock."

Asked about the strategy to repeat the success as no political party has done it in the last four decades, Kashyap said, "Congress party has nothing to oppose against the government in last three and half years of functioning. As far as development is concerned, our government has done better. If you talk about the Covid management during the pandemic, people are praising us."

Kashyap says he has good coordination with all the senior leaders of the party including former chief minister Shanta Kumar and Professor Prem Kumar Dhumal. He stressed time and again that he gets the blessing of these leaders and so far he has not faced any problem with them. Kashyap pointed out that BJP has always remained the front-runner be it the Legislative Assembly poll or Lok Sabha poll. As far as the municipal election was concerned, the BJP voting percentage was more than Congress in Palampur.

"We have always got the lead in all the elections be it in the 2014 Lok Sabha poll or the 2017 assembly poll. In fact, in 2019 we created history by leading at 68 assembly seats. In Rohru and Rampur assembly constituency, we had got the lead for the first time. As far as Congress is concerned, the clan is already split," Kashyap asserted.

Reacting to the groupism in the party for the by-poll on four seats, Kashyap rules out groupism in the BJP and things will settle down as soon as dates are declared. Kashyap also took a jibe at the Congress party, stressing that after the sad demise of senior Congress leader Virbhadra Singh, the party has been divided into several factions.

"We do not see any challenge from the Congress party as it has been divided into several factions in the state. Some want CM from Kangra and another wants CM from Shimla. The way the Congress party is fragmented into groups, BJP does not find any challenges at all," Kashyap said.

During the interaction, Kashyap defended CM Jai Ram Thakur over the bureaucracy issue in which Anil Khachi was recently transferred from the post of Chief Secretary. Kashyap stated that the government functions according to its requirements and the government decided to transfer Anil Khachi and DGP Sanjay Kundu. "Our chief minister decides after taking all aspects into consideration and both the government and party are in good harmony. BJP is ready to face all kinds of challenges," Kashyap said.