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The Rediff Interview/Surjeet Singh Barnala

'It is not easy to guide a new state'

On the midnight of November 8, Surjeet Singh Barnala became the first governor of Uttaranchal when he was sworn in by Justice Ashok Desai, chief justice of the Uttaranchal high court. This is his second term in office as governor of a state. Earlier, he had served as governor of Tamil Nadu during Jayalalitha's tenure as chief minister.

A seasoned Akali Dal leader, Barnala had been out of political circulation since he lost the Lok Sabha election in October 1999. As a result, his appointment as governor came as a surprise for those who have followed Punjab politics closely.

Barnala had almost fallen out with Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on the issue of providing support to Union Minister Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa's son, who was contesting a by-election from Sunam.

In an exclusive interview to Onkar Singh, Barnala denied that he was out in the political wilderness. He also denied that his appointment had come late in the day. "The appointment could have come earlier, but then there was no vacancy," he said. Excerpts:

You have been in political wilderness for a while. Why?

I do not know why you say that. According to me, I was very much in politics even though I did not hold any office either in the party or in the government. During the recent by-election to the state assembly, I was in the limelight.

You were in the limelight for your opposition to Dhindsa's son, who was contesting from Sunam. Is that right?

Of course, this is right. I believe -- and have good reasons to do so -- that I lost the Lok Sabha election because of Dhindsa's refusal to work for me. Hence my anger against him was justified. But this is a matter of the past and I now want to bury it.

Unlike the sons of other political leaders of the Akali Dal, your son Gagandeep Singh is not interested in politics. Why?

My son feels politics is not his cup of tea. He has seen me suffering on many occasions in the past. That could be one of the reasons why he is not interested in joining politics. He feels he is better off outside politics. If at a later stage he changes his mind then I don't know.

Did your appointment as governor come as a surprise? Many thought it should have come much earlier.

You are right, this appointment could have come much earlier, but then there was no vacancy. Now, since three new states came into being, they considered my name.

No, the appointment did not come as a surprise to me. I am a content man and I take life in my own stride.

When you look back on your political career, how do you feel?

I am happy with what I have achieved in my life. I have had a successful and meaningful career. I am totally satisfied with my performance.

Now that you have been appointed governor of Uttaranchal, would you continue to meddle in Akali politics?

You see, the governor has to be a non-party man. Till I remain governor of Uttaranchal I am a non-party man. So where is the question of meddling with Akali politics? I am the functional head of a new state and there are a number of challenges that lie ahead for the administration.

It is not easy to guide a new state. The first task is to put the administration in place. That itself is a big challenge. I hope the new state will have fewer birth pangs and all those who are concerned with the administration will put their heads together and work unitedly for the progress of the state of Uttaranchal.

This is a hill state. Travelling here is challenging and difficult. But all my life I have been doing such difficult tasks.

What, according to you, would be the priorities of the new state?

The state needs all-round development. The hills of Uttaranchal will need special developmental efforts to ensure that people living in remote areas of the state are also benefited. They should not feel that they have been left out.

The state has an abundance of resources and these resources have to be exploited carefully. Development in the field of education, industrial growth, environment etc has also to be ensured.

There is no point in talking about progress without making the people of the state literate. Hydroelectric power plants have to be set up to tap the river water resources to produce electricity for the state. The state tourism department will have to be developed to ensure that we attract maximum number of tourists from both within and outside the country. The state is full of potential, but it has to be exploited fully.

The people of Udham Singh Nagar have a lot of expectations from you as governor. Would you be able to help them out, considering the fact it is the chief minister who is the administrative head of the state?

When I reached the borders of the state on the afternoon of November 8, thousands of people were there to receive me. A majority of them were people from Udham Singh Nagar. That shows that they are keen to participate in the development of the new state.

Now that the state has been formed and Udham Singh Nagar is a part of it, it is the duty of the state administration to sort out their problems. I agree that as governor of the state I would not be able to address them directly, but I would do whatever I can within my powers. I have to work within the framework of the powers bestowed on me by the Constitution of India.

There is a sharp difference between the paharis and non-paharis. How would you help the state administration in meeting this challenge that threatens to rip the government apart?

These differences should go now. As time passes, passions will cool down. This will help people understand the ground realities of the new situation and they will slowly but surely accept it in good spirit. I hope this will happen soon.

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