'The honourable prime minister virtually handpicked me for the Amritsar East seat.'
'Amit Shahji announced that if I am elected, the whole of Punjab will be drugs free.'
Dr Jagmohan Singh Raju was just 22 when he joined the Indian Administrative Service. A Sikh from Punjab, he was assigned the Tamil Nadu cadre.
After serving in the IAS for 35 years in Tamil Nadu, Delhi and London, Dr Raju has returned home to Punjab.
He took voluntary retirement a year-and-a-half before superannuation and joined the Bhartiya Janata Party on January 28.
A day later, he was announced as the BJP candidate from Amritsar East against two high profile candidates -- sitting MLA and Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu and the Shiromani Akali Dal's Bikram Singh Majithia.
Dr Raju comes riding on the back of an impressive meritorious legacy of his own. As director general of the National Literacy Mission, he conceptualised and created the structure of a programme that made over millions of women literate. The target was to make 10 million Indians literate in five years -- he doubled the success rate and was awarded UNESCO's World Literacy Prize in 2013 for the achievement.
What was more rewarding than the prize itself was the fact that in those 5 years, he clocked 100,000 miles of travel and met at least a million people in their houses in every state of the country, he says.
In an interview with Rediff.com's Archana Masih, he reveals why he joined the BJP and how Punjab can reclaim its place among India's top states.
Why did you choose to join the BJP? Who approached you and how did you get selected to contest the prestigious Amritsar East seat?
Had I joined any other party, say the Congress -- I would have been asked why Congress? (Laughs)
I am convinced that the BJP is a good choice for Punjab. Up till the 1980s, Punjab was among the top states of the country. It was the number one state in terms of economic prosperity, social indicators and Human Development Index.
People of the state would be proud to say they were from Punjab. But from the mid 1980s, states like Tamil Nadu and Karnataka started progressing gradually and rising up the ladder.
The primary reason was that most of these states had a very good relationship with the Centre.
I worked in Tamil Nadu and our main objective and effort was to get maximum help from the Government of India which remains the main source of funding. Even if you have to go to the World Bank, IMF or other multilateral agencies, you have to go through the Government of India.
Punjab unfortunately has been on the other side of the Centre for a long time.
I believe if the state government and central government go hand-in-hand till 2024 and beyond, it will be an advantage for Punjab.
A double 'engine ki sarkar in Punjab will be immensely conducive to the development of the state.
Secondly, Prime Minister Modi has an overall vision of India and also has a vision for Punjab -- for example, opening the Kartarpur corridor, exemption of GST for langar items, 'Bal Vir Diwas' in honour of th of the Chote Sahibzades.
The PM has a soft corner for Punjab.
The honourable prime minister virtually handpicked me for the Amritsar East seat. He is concerned about the problem of drugs and goondaism in Amritsar.
I had a short period between taking voluntary retirement and coming to Amritsar. Amit Shahji announced that if I am elected, the whole of Punjab will be drugs free. He said I would be the giant killer.
You mentioned 'double engine sarkar', but Tamil Nadu's progress has not been inhibited because of the dispensation at the Centre.
For nearly 20 years, the DMK was part of the central government. The ruling parties of the state have been in alliance with both the UPA and NDA. Even when they were not formally part of it, they were great supporters of the central government.
The last AIADMK government was also very supportive. Any government in Tamil Nadu has always maintained respectable, cordial relationship with the Centre, even if they're not formally part of the government.
The present DMK government is not part of the central government, but every week, at least two ministers visit their counterpart in Delhi. A cordial relationship is key to economic development of any state.
Punjab has not been able to establish that sort of relationship.
The BJP fared badly in the recent civic election in Tamil Nadu. What do you think about the BJP's progress in Tamil Nadu? Do you think that the BJP can replace one of the Dravidian parties in the years to come?
Parties in Tamil Nadu have been in alliance with the BJP in the past. The DMK and AIADMK have been in alliance with the BJP.
In 1999, the DMK was in alliance with the BJP.
I don't rule out any possibility in the future. Being a national party, the BJP has the legitimate ambition to be in power in all the states. They work very hard for it. They had no presence in the North East, but have a significant presence now. In fact, Assam has a BJP government at present.
BJP is a national party and is bound to have a presence in all parts of the country.
There is criticism about public servants leaving service and immediately joining a political party to contest elections. What are your thoughts about that?
I took VRS one-and-a-half years before my retirement. I left my career at my peak and joined the party which shows my total commitment for service to the people and the country.
Contesting elections immediately after taking VRS is a debatable issue. In a democracy, it is the fundamental right of a citizen to vote and to contest elections.
I feel in a democracy there should be no restraint on the legitimate claim of any individual to contest elections and to vote. These two should never be restricted or curtailed.
What do you make of the Channi factor in Punjab? Do you believe the Dalits will rally behind him?
He is being presented by the Congress as the first Dalit CM, but I don't see him standing by the community.
Mr Sidhu demanded the removal of a Dalit DGP who was the first appointment made by Mr Channi. Mr Sidhu made it a prestige issue and a political agenda and the officer was replaced.
I do not think Mr Channi is courageous enough and has the required autonomy to stand by his community.
On the other hand, the BJP has created history by putting Dalit candidates in the most hotly contested seats.
The BJP is not driven by caste consideration alone, they go by merit.
It is a recognition of my merit that they have selected me to contest a general constituency against the Punjab Congress committee chief Navjot Singh Sidhu and the Akali Dal's Bikram Singh Majithia who is Punjab's strongest candidate.
The entire Punjabi Dalit community is proud that their own is contesting against such strong candidates.
My candidature is the fulfilment of Dr Ambedkar's vision which is being realised by Modiji.
But I have been chosen not only because I am a Dalit, but also for my merit.
I have served in the IAS for 37 years and have a PhD from Tata Institute of Social Sciences. I am a visiting fellow at Cambridge University.
I was awarded the UNESCO World prize for making two crore (20 million) people literate.
Therefore, the BJP has a different model of Dalit empowerment. They have gone beyond symbolism and give real consideration to merit.
What are the biggest problems for the youth of Punjab?
Firstly, the lack of political leadership.
The political leadership is occupied in self interest or the family's interest. The Akali Dal is a family concern of the Badal family and the Congress is fighting among themselves to pull each other down.
That's the reason they were never able to deliver. They are unable to control corruption, and increase efficiency. There has been a complete failure of leadership.
The two problems facing the youth are drugs and unemployment, which is correlated with education.
What do you think have been your top achievements in the IAS?
My service record is spotless. I served with complete integrity and honesty.
I have never even got a traffic ticket in my life! I have never been on the wrong side of the law.
Secondly, by the grace of God, my performance was always rated outstanding in every task given to me -- in Tamil Nadu and in the 17 years that I served the Government of India in New Delhi.
Six-seven years into service, I was given the responsibility of tackling the corruption in the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission. The examination papers used to get leaked. To ensure a fair examination, I went to the Union Public Service Commission in Delhi to learn from their systems and introduced it in Tamil Nadu.
It brought such a remarkable transformation that there was not a single leak for at least the next 10-15 years.
Secondly, I worked on the geographical indication of basmati rice which grows majorly in Punjab and Haryana.
I conceptualised and created the structure of the National Literacy Mission in 2009. The target of the programme was to make 1 crore people literate, but the mission succeeded in making two crore literate adults by 2013.
I was given a world prize by UNESCO. The prize winner is selected by an international jury. I received the award in Paris.
What was more rewarding than the prize itself was the fact that in those 5 years, every day I was in some part of the country in the field.
I clocked 100,000 miles of travel and met at least a million people in their houses in every state of the country. I have slept in some most difficult areas like Senapati in Manipur, Bastar in Chhattisgarh.
If you do not succeed in this election, what do you see as your future?
There are winners and losers in every election. It does not signify the end of the game.
My own party, the BJP, won only two (Lok Sabha) seats in 1984. Many stalwarts may have lost at that time, but it did not impact their personal future nor of the party.
Therefore, irrespective of winning or losing, I am totally committed to the service of the people and the party for the next 15 years, up to 75 years.
Where were you posted when the tsunami devastated the Tamil Nadu coast in December 2004?
I was commissioner, agriculture, which was badly hit. I remember seeing bodies three feet under water. We used to go and meet farmers to assess the damage and destruction caused to farmers, their fields and animals.
Watch: Dr Jagmohan Singh Raju campaign in the Amritsar East constituency
Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com
