Tarun Chugh, who is BJP's national general secretary and in-charge of Telangana, Jammu & Kashmir, and Ladakh, feels that the works done by the Modi government in the last 10 years will reflect in the Lok Sabha polls outcome.
In an interview with assistant editor of The New Indian Express, Rajesh Kumar Thakur, Chugh said, "The Opposition is a divided house. Whether they are trying to throw the BJP out of power or not is not so important but what matters is how the Modi government has delivered".
Excerpts:
Q. On the BJP's campaigns across the country to achieve its "400 ke paar" target
Chugh: The Modi government has worked diligently to take the welfare measures to the last man in the queue. The idea has been that all the deprived sections are given their due. Obviously, the BJP has gained more popularity among the people, which should be translated into votes.
Q. To what extent are you sure of your party achieving its target in the upcoming elections?
Chugh: The opposition is a divided house. The opposition has been doing its politics, whereas the Modi government has been working for the welfare of the people. We will always respect the democratic outcome.
Q. How the "Mission South" of BJP is expected to yield results in the 2024 LS elections?
Chugh: The BJP is expecting to make big forays into the Southern belt because the people have started realising that they have been fooled for long by the regional satraps. The people want growth which the Modi government has provided for the last ten years. The people have started feeling the change , so obviously we are expecting to make good gains in the South.
Q. What are the main issues on which BJP is seeking a third term in a row at the Centre?
Chugh: The BJP would make the ten years of governance of the Modi government its main plank, and we would apprise the people of various development and welfare schemes that have benefited crores of people. We all know the historic decisions that the Modi government has taken. At the same time the BJP would highlight the corrupt practices of the opposition parties and how they have been promoting nepotism and family fiefdom in various political parties.
Q. What would be BJP performances in states like Telangana, Kerala, AP, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu in the 2024 LS elections?
Chugh: The Prime Minister has toured some parts of the South recently and soon the BJP campaign will become more aggressive in the region. The BJP is certainly going to make a big achievement in these states where people are sick of the family rule of a handful of political leaders. The political families have deprived their states of new development. As the people have started realising it this is bound to give the BJP a big gain in the coming elections.
Q. The government led by PM Modi is being accused by the opposition of using the central agencies like ED and CBI, to target them out of fear of losing elections this time. What's your take on it?
Chugh: The Modi government is firmly against corruption. The opposition is fearing because it has been indulging in corruption whenever it is in power. The central agencies like ED and CBI does not work on political grounds. The opposition is making a hue and cry because many cases of corruption that have remained hidden from people are coming to light.
Q. On Congress manifesto?
Chung. The Congress manifesto is a shallow exercise. The Congress's promise of giving annually Rs one lakh each to women is as impractical as its promise in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections to give Rs 72,000 every year to everyone. None of the states where Congress ruled in the recent past offered such benefits to farmers or women. and now it's trying to touch the moon with fake promises. After having failed during its more than 60 years of rule in the country during which inflation touched its heights and rate of growth was at the bottom, the Congress is now taking lessons from the Modi model of governance. The BJP's Sankalp Patra, released on Sunday, reflects India's aspirations and a roadmap for making our country a vikshit Bharat by 2047. It also lays down the blueprint for making India one of the top economies in the world besides other issues.
Q. Your party claims to be following Modi's mantra of "Sab Ka Vikas,Sab ka saath" but has fielded only one Muslim candidate from South in Kerala...
Chugh: This is absolutely a wrong perception and false propaganda. Our party looks for the winnability of candidates. There is absolutely no discrimination against any community. The welfare policies and programmes are meant for all citizens in the country whichever community or class they come from. In elections many factors come into play before a candidate is selected. But certainly, community and class is never kept in mind in picking up candidates.