You had claimed in an interview with me a year ago that BJP will come to power in Lucknow with two-third majority. What was the reason behind this confidence?
We were struggling in third and fourth position for over a decade and a half in the state. We turned a corner in 2014 Lok Sabha elections. PM Modi’s name and Amit Shah’s leadership gave us a huge jump. However, the biggest challenge was to maintain the mandate of 2014 till 2017. While travelling through the state, we realised that there is a positive current for the party. The next step was to convert it into votes. When we jumped into the fray, we carefully curated our strategy based on people’s opinion, situation on the ground and the prevailing current. By the time I gave you the interview last time, I had already been in UP for over a year. During this time, the response we got at district level and beyond was pleasantly surprising. Because of the policies of Modiji, common people were of the opinion that someone from among them was Prime Minister of the country now. We planned accordingly and were confident that we will come with a thumping majority. Some people were not ready to believe us. They used to ask, whom are you going to do alliance with? Party president Amit Shah always maintained that the party would make it big on its own. And it did.
It’s a remarkable performance. But how did you manage it ultimately?
You need to understand that there is a big difference between BJP and other parties. We are not an individualcentric or a family-centric party. We are a party with a strong cadre base. When our cadres decide to achieve something, they end up achieving it. We augmented this high morale with our understanding of social, political and geographical realities of the state, and made our strategy accordingly. We were pretty confident of our victory. Our cadres exhibited the same confidence. We decided to fight the local elections. We took a stock of our preparations in that poll. We interacted with our cadres from district level to booth level. Every decision was taken on the advice of local cadres. We decided to contest Zilla Parishad elections. We won as many as 600 wards and around half a dozen Zilla Panchayats. This gave a clear indication that the voters were standing firm with Modi’s policies. We were sure that we will win the assembly polls with huge majority.
But you cannot deny social engineering. You poached leaders from a certain caste background from BSP and augmented Kurmi votes…
What you are saying is right. I will not talk about any particular caste. Kurmi-dominated Apna Dal allied with us during the Lok Sabha polls. Its strength aligned with ours. However, as the in-charge of Uttar Pradesh, I’ll reiterate that we tried to make a dent in every caste bastion and we were successful. We brought all the castes together. The arithmetic was with us. Why only Kurmis? We got the support of Lodh, Kushwaha, Shakya, Nishad, Pasi, Jatavs and all other castes. They all benefited from the policies of our Prime Minister. Why am I stressing on Prime Minister is because he connected directly with people. Like ex-PM Lal Bahadur Shastri had requested the people to give up one meal in a week to fight with food shortage; our current PM requested the people to give up LPG subsidy for those poor people who waste most of their time looking for woods to light up their hearth. The females who have benefited from the Ujjwala Scheme can’t believe their fate that they no more have to struggle with wood-fired hearth and the bellowing smoke. We did not distribute gas connection to any particular caste. We gave it to lowincome group population based on the National Economic Survey report of 2011. These people realised that it’s been 70 years and no Prime Minister ever thought about us, except Modiji. These people voted for us. In short, we can say that social, political and economic factors all came together to help us win.
So what’s next for you personally? Head of government in Rajasthan or a plum cabinet post at the Centre?
Since the day I came to public life, I have always been a cadre, a worker. It is my understanding that in our system, the only permanent post is that of a cadre, which even the God cannot do away with. On all other posts, you can add the prefix “former”. I have been working for over 40 years now. Whatever role my party asks me to fulfil, I fulfil that. I was sent to Madhya Pradesh in 2001 where Congress was in power for a decade. When cadre fought back there, we threw away Congress for good. Congress’s misgovernance has been replaced by BJP’s good governance for over a decade and a half there. Congress cannot even think about coming back there. I have been sent to Gujarat and Maharashtra as well. I did my job in Uttar Pradesh. I have answered the call as a cadre whenever the party has called me. That is why I never think about myself. The party has taken care of me till now and it will do so in the future.
I was sent to Madhya Pradesh in 2001 where Congress was in power for a decade. When cadre fought back there, we threw away Congress for good
And what is BJP’s next stop? Any other state or 2019 elections?
Modiji had given the slogan of “Congress-Mukt Bharat” in 2014. People of this country also want the Congress that looted the country for six decades to go away for good. Why should only one family benefit? The party gave the slogan of “Garibi Hatao” but did away with the poor and not poverty. This won’t do now. Modiji gave the call of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas”. Modiji always says that there is disparity in the development of the country. Communists ruled West Bengal for 35 years and the state has maximum poverty and hunger deaths. Nothing happened in the name of development. North-east has always been neglected. Voters have reposed faith in both our slogans. We care about people and people know this. That is why we managed to form governments in Assam and Manipur beyond expectations. Our next target is to bring BJP back in all the places where it has been missing for all these years.
So the next target is 2019 or 2024?
Don’t tie BJP in the timeframe of 2019. India was living in inferiority complex for 68 years. In the United Nations, India used to measure its words lest the United States or Russia get angry. Prime Minister Modi talked about development for all and eradication of terrorism at the United Nations. It was appreciated from all quarters. The entire world is celebrating Yoga Day. We want the entire world to unite and talk about development of the entire world. We should all get together and fight the menace of terrorism, diseases and financial crisis. We also talk about unity among SAARC countries. Our target is to restore India to its past glory. It was the centre of knowledge and was called “Sone ki Chidiya”. We want to make it great again. So, don’t tie us in the timeframe of 2019 or 2024. Our Prime Minister was the first person who bowed in front of the Parliament before entering it. Indira Gandhi’s “Garibi Hatao” did nothing in the last 47 years. Rajiv Gandhi accepted that out of every rupee spent by the government, only a tenth of it reached on the ground. We have assured that the development will be visible on the ground. It is already showing on the ground. Modiji is doing everything for the people of this country. There is a proper channel of feedback so that discrepancies are done away with.
In the MCD polls, new faces have been awarded tickets. Is it harbinger of what is going to happen in Odisha, Himachal and 2019 Lok Sabha polls?
Will that mean a lot of sitting MLAs and MPs wouldn’t be re-fielded? No, it is not like this always. We experiment in different states depending on the prevailing situation. We tried this in Surat polls. Our strategy is based on the changing perception of people, changing realities of society. There is lot of brainstorming before a plan is made. The Parliamentary Board takes any decision based on the feedback of our workers right from the block level to the district level. Their opinion is very important. Our decisions are not taken on the whims of mother-son duo or father-son clique. Our party president goes for three-day tour in every state and talks with local cadres. Their opinion is very important. In fact, it is the most important factor. Our National Executive meeting has taken place several times while Congress is still struggling with organisational polls. This is the difference between us and Congress, and that’s why we are on the rise and the Congress is staring at its certain death.
Why Yogi in Uttar Pradesh? Let me start by saying that Yogiji is also part of the party. He was nominated by the elected representatives. We have always maintained that selection of chief minister will be done by the Parliamentary Board only after the completion of the election. And that is what happened.
Prime Minister Modi maintains that Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha polls should be conducted at tandem. What’s your opinion on this? The situation is such that every third month there is one election or the other happening somewhere in the country. We are just through with Uttar Pradesh, and Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh are in sight. Not only the Prime Minister, anyone who wants to see the country developed knows that repeated elections are a hindrance in the development of the country. However, we cannot take this decision alone. The standing committee has been formed to look into this matter and it is going to analyse every aspect of this before submitting its recommendations. However, the ideal situation is to conduct the polls together.
UP polls have also given the indication that BJP’s attitude towards the minorities has been appreciated by the majority. That led to the polarisation of votes. What’s your take? We don’t see results through that prism. Our stand is clear. Our slogan is “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas”. We want to reiterate that wherever BJP is ruling, the minorities are with us. They have representation in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan governments. A myth has been created around us that we are against a particular community. But when they see us closely, they change their mind. In our tradition, there is no culture of creating division among communities. Maharana Pratap’s chief commander was a Muslim in the battle against Akbar. This is Congress’s conspiracy to keep its vote intact. Before Modiji’s coming to power in Gujarat, curfew was a common thing. After he came to power, curfews were unheard of. The misconception against us is melting away.
How essential are the tough financial management and banking norms in the light that a section of society still indulges in the barter system?
Tough financial measures were essential. While a class of people was doing well for itself, another class was lagging behind. This class was devoid of any facility. The measures were necessary to bridge this gap. We will take further measures. This has already started bearing fruit. Digitisation has led to the lessening of “Inspector Raj” in many departments. We put a brake on corruption and scams. People also realised the demonetisation was good for them. In the last interview with you, I had claimed two things: the victory in UP and the victory in all subsequent Lok Sabha polls with a “Congress-Mukt Bharat”. We have achieved the first. We’ll achieve the other one too.
