Nationalist Congress Party (SCP) state president P C Chacko is confident that the BJP won’t win 400 seats in the upcoming elections. However, he says, the INDIA bloc will win 300 seats.
In a conversation with TNIE’s Arun M for the Quick Five segment, Chacko says the BJP and the RSS will destroy the basic principles of the Constitution if they return to power. Excerpts
Many are claiming to be NCP’s official unit. What’s the stand of NCP-Sharad Pawar’s state unit?
Certain individuals, including the one ousted from our party for misconduct, joined Ajit Pawar and Praful Patel. They are now claiming they are a part of the official NCP unit. However, Ajit is with the NDA while the NCP-Sharad Pawar faction has consistently aligned with LDF in Kerala. The turncoats have become irrelevant here, even as Sharad Pawar continues to enjoy the support of the people of Maharashtra.
It is alleged the NDA government is using central agencies to intimidate leaders of opposition parties. Your take?
BJP will face a big setback for this. Three ministers, including the Delhi CM, are in jail in an alleged corruption case involving a policy that their government cancelled. The ED and I-T departments have become the Centre’s weapons.
How do you evaluate the prospects of the INDIA bloc?
I think INDIA bloc has a huge chance for victory. I expect 300 seats for the bloc. There may arise differences of opinion within the bloc, but the parties have joined hands with a single aim: to ensure BJP’s defeat.
You left Congress over differences with the leadership. Has the party’s stand changed now?
I told Rahul Gandhi in 2019 that he should not contest from Kerala. If he had a plan to contest from south India, Bengaluru South would have been a safe choice. Congress does not have a single MLA from assembly segments under Amethi, Raebareli and Phulpur LS constituencies, which were once its strongholds. In such a scenario, how can it defeat BJP?
What’s your assessment of the LS elections in Kerala?
There is a wave in favour of the Left. The fight here is between UDF and LDF. BJP will finish third in all 20 seats, and NDA will not win 400 seats as PM Modi claims. The situation in north India too seems difficult for the NDA. The party will face a jolt in UP, Bihar and Maharastra due to strong opposition alliances formed there. If BJP returns to power, it will destroy the fundamental nature of our Constitution.