UP Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma rejects the Opposition’s argument that the NDA has failed to create employment opportunities and that the Nyay scheme of the Congress could dent the BJP. Excerpts from his interview with Namita Bajpai.
SP chief Akhilesh Yadav has claimed that BJP will be restricted to just one seat in UP. How formidable is the Mahagathandhan challenge?
That may be his slip of the tongue and true of his party. His alliance is a gathbandhan (alliance) of compulsion, whose longevity is questionable. Its weave is fragile. Actually, SP and BSP are not fighting for Lok Sabha but engaged in a tussle for 2021 Assembly polls with their cadres resisting each other on the ground. Congress is their ‘B Team’ to divide BJP’s votes. However, their tactics won’t work.
BJP claims it will win more seats than in 2014. Isn’t it overconfidence?
We will win 74. And this is because of confidence gained from our last performance when we were made fun of for being overconfident. We will achieve the number, which party president Amit Shah has prescribed.
How impactful will be the Nyay scheme of Congress? Will it be able to fetch votes for Congress?
Those who have always indulged in ‘Anyay’ (injustice) can’t do Nyay (justice). People of India have understood this fact. Congress has fought elections so far on the basis of such fake slogans since Pt Nehru’ regime till Manmohan Singh. They said ‘Garibi hatao’ but the graph of poverty soared, while in Modi government’s tenure around five crore people have come over the poverty line
Has Priyanka Gandhi altered the situation in UP?
Every five years she enters the political ring 20 days ahead of elections. And every time that picnic of Congress ends with an even worse performance. Her charisma is such that when the party fails to collect crowd, her meeting is termed a nukkad meeting. Some parties (read Congress) resort to a number of tactics and some people are capable of being in media glare sometime by hugging children and old women who are remembered only during polls. But whether these theatrics convert into votes is debatable.
How would you counter opposition’s narrative of unemployment and farmers’ distress in UP?
PM Modi has created more indirect jobs than direct. Modiji has gone deep into the root of unemployment. Employment doesn’t mean only government jobs. We have approached the issue with a different perspective. In UP alone, 2,700 skill development centres have been opened, over 1,600 start-up projects have been registered and lakhs of people have started business through Mudra loan. We have created means to create jobs. Startup India, Stand-Up India, Mudra loan, ‘one district one product’ are a few to name. Employment grows with growing infrastructure.
Your government in UP claims that it has given more jobs during the last 22 months than what previous governments could give during their entire tenure?
Within two years we have captured 65% market of mobile handsets. Work on defence corridor in Bundelkhand has begun. Similarly, the scheme to promote ‘One district one product’ has also been strengthened. We have promoted skill development to equip people.
How will you counter the charge of Army’s politicisation vis-a-vis Balakot airstrikes post-Pulwama?
Why dual standards? If former PM Indira Gandhi can be credited with Bangladesh, why can’t Balakot airstrikes be attributed to the iron will and decisiveness of PM Modi? The opposition contradicts itself. Opposition is resorting to these tactics as they lack issues.
Akhilesh Yadav has promised to raise Ahir Armoured and Gujarat Infantry in his vision document. How will you react to it?
They have been doing caste politics... They have been dividing the society along castes, poor and rich for political gains.