Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, 57, feels the popular anger against the BJP will not be limited to Chhattisgarh but across the country. Talking to Ejaz Kaiser, he compared Congress president Rahul Gandhi with PM Narendra Modi, saying the former does not lie or believe in rhetoric as a tool to ‘politics of brand marketing’. Excerpts.
What is the Congress pitch for this poll?
People of Chhattisgarh can easily compare 60 days of Congress with 60 months of the BJP at the Centre. PM Modi asked for five years; promised many things. Now their failures stand exposed. Every segment of the population feels cheated and disillusioned. Where is black money, `15 lakh in every bank account, 2 crore jobs annually, the Swaminathan committee report for farmers? Demonetisation led to a rise in unemployment and corruption as in the Rafale deal and high fuel prices. Nothing came out of the 2-G scam, the coal scam and others they vociferously raised against Congress and came to power in 2014.
NDA has claimed several pro-people welfare successes. The slogan: ‘Desh nahi Jhukne doonga’ has found resonance post-Pulwama.
Every Indian feels proud of our Army and the IAF. But our question is, wasn’t Pulwama a serious intelligence failure? How could a vehicle with 350 kg explosives access a sensitive area to target a convoy? When then home minister Shivraj Patil had to resign after the Mumbai terror attack for changing his suit, why is nobody seeking Modi’s resignation for busying himself with a photo-shoot during the Pulwama attack? A day after the air-strike, who revealed the figure of 300 terrorists killed to the media. You can’t label one as anti-national for asking the right questions. The BJP has to reply.
How has Rahul Gandhi emerged as a rival to PM?
The most basic difference is that Rahulji, even after becoming the Congress president, directly interacts with people and does not lie. What he says, he delivers. Modi’s leadership is built on the rhetoric used to market himself. It’s for the people to judge whether they got the ‘Achhe Din’ he promised.
‘Main Bhi Chowkidar’ is seen as a strong poll slogan for BJP to gain ground.
It will be counter-productive. In 2014, BJP tried the ‘Chaiwala’ campaign but no one so far has found the railway station where Modi sold tea or the shop or even kettle he used. Nobody remembers buying tea from him. It was propaganda. Now they are calling themselves ‘chowkidars’ when thousands of crores of our money has been stashed abroad by fugitives Nirav Modi, Mallya, Choksi etc, even as controversial Rafale deal files have gone missing.
Before the ‘Chowkidar’ catchword, other issues raised by the Opposition parties seem dwarfed.
The frightened BJP acts like the ostrich which instinctively buries its head in the sand thinking that the trouble will pass. That’s not reality. Slogans don’t help people.
The Congress in Chhattisgarh is contesting polls for the first time after returning to power. Does that give you an upper hand?
After 15 years in power, BJP won just 15 Assembly seats because of anger against its misgovernance, which persists. We have met 50% per cent of our major promises (18 of 36) within two months — a clear message that our party delivers on its promises. People’s confidence and trust in Congress will help us in the state and across India.
BJP has changed all sitting MPs to counter negativity. Will that have an impact?
Such a decision suggests the BJP leadership distrusts its local leadership and that it is fighting an internal crisis. It only bolsters our prospects.
Did the BJP decision surprise the Congress?
The BJP rules at the Centre. It might have carried out surveys and the inputs may have suggested it has been thoroughly weakened and its state leaders have lost trust. They were left with no option but to experiment. The situation could further deepen BJP infighting.