No doubt, a victor needs breathing time. But sixteen months have passed since he won the Assembly polls. The BJP government, formed after humbling the Congress in the assembly elections, has, however, become a victim of inertia.

A number of factors are essential prerequisites for good governance. The Dhumal government should thank its stars that the state has remained, by and large, free from any major political upheaval during the 16 months. The Congress leaders kept themselves busy more in fighting among themselves than in fighting the government.

During the run-up to the Lok Sabha poll, both the BJP and the Congress were haunted by factional tussles with the BJP even seeing the exodus of some of its prominent leaders who joined the Congress. They included Narender Thakur, son of the late veteran BJP leader Jagdev Chand and ex-BJP minister Karan Singh. The state did witness some agitations including the one by the “removed” PTA (Parent-Teachers Association) teachers who were “irregularly” recruited during the former Congress regime. But most of these controversies have abated.

Quick decision-making and speedy implementation of decisions are imperatives for good governance. But the Dhumal government has faltered in acting on or speedily implementing some of its important decisions. Not to refer to other issues in the list like the mandatory unbundling of the State Electricity Board and the controversies over setting up some new power projects. Mention of one important case will suffice.

In June 2008, Chief Minister Dhumal had announced that all the Himalayan (hill) states in the country would be motivated to form a Trans-Himalayan Development Authority to collectively raise issues of common interest at the Central level and to give a boost to various hilly area developmental activities. He told the conference of the horticulture ministers of Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand held at Shimla that it was necessary to have the Authority. The reason: because these states are not numerically strong, they did not have the political clout to get contentious issues settled. A year has lapsed but no tangible action has been initiated to form the Authority.

Besides quick decision implementation, efficient fiscal management and sound financial health are the cornerstones of good governance and result-oriented performance. The Dhumal government's record on these counts has also been uninspiring. The state is burdened with a Rs.23,000 crore back-breaking debt which is going to further mount next year. Its financial woes are going to worsen with the implementation of the Pay Commission recommendations.

Instead of mobilising additional resources to cope with the financial crisis, the Chief Minister has been charging the Centre with discriminating against the state not only in fund allocation but also in sanctioning projects. But Sonia Gandhi's statement at an election rally in Shimla that HP received Rs.23,000 crore assistance during the UPA regime against Rs.13,000 crore during NDA rule has remained unchallenged. So is the fact of sanctioning of some ambitious projects to the state by the UPA government including IIT, Central University, 500-bed ESI hospital and medical college, SAIL plant and Institute of Fashion Technology. Instead of expressing gratitude, the Chief Minister told a press conference on March 9 soon after the announcement of Lok Sabha poll dates: “There is nothing extraordinary in what UPA government did for HP. Whatever we got was a result of our efforts.”

The foregoing review of some of the aspects of the BJP government's functioning reflects its lacklustre governance and uninspiring performance. The 16 month rule has provided the Dhumal ministry much breathing time and space. If it fails to take corrective steps to provide efficient governance and credible performance, it will have to face the music when Assembly elections are held three-and-a-half years hence.

History tells that victory often makes the victor complacent. (IPA Service)