While political pundits predict that Parkash Singh Badal’s SAD is set to lose its magical spell this election, BJP Vice-President Prabhat Jha, while speaking to Manish Anand, maintains that there would either be an NDA government in Punjab, else no one. Excerpts:
Campaigning saw high decibel electioneering. What is your assessment?
People in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Gujarat gave third consecutive mandate to the BJP. And the BJP has delivered on its promises made to the people. It’s evident that the BJP-led states don’t face the kind of anti-incumbency factor other political outfits face during polls. Therefore, there is comfort within the party that in Punjab too, the NDA will win a third straight mandate.
The entry of AAP apparently disturbed the set bipolar politics in Punjab. The party claims that it would come to power there.
The bad experiences of the people in Delhi have effectively conveyed the message to Punjab that AAP believes in just high-decibel campaigns with tall promises, which they will never implement.
AAP claims to have won people’s support in Punjab over the drug issue.
Lok Sabha MP Bhagwant Mann is said to be AAP’s tallest leader in Punjab. However, he collapsed on the stage at least during three rallies. Charity begins at home and Kejriwal should first cure his drunken partymen and then plan of doing big things.
Will the election verdict be a referendum on the performance of the Modi government?
In the 2015 Bihar verdict, the mandate of the people was not against the Modi government. It was an affirmation of the emerging political reality that RJD remains a strong outfit in the state. But subsequently, BJP did win in big ways a number of by-elections and local body polls across the country. The SAD-BJP alliance had been in power for 10 years in Punjab. Similarly, SP and BSP have ruled Uttar Pradesh for almost 15 years. Therefore, it has to be a referendum on the performance of states. We are hopeful of good results in all five states.
There also appears a possibility of a hung Assembly in Punjab.
We are going to win Punjab. Punjab will either have an NDA government, or there will be none.