Tarun Chugh, the BJP national general secretary who is in-charge of Telangana, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, said that the party is all geared up to win people’s trust in the southern states and Kashmir on the pro-poor development credentials of the Centre.
“We’re committed to ensuring participative democracy at all levels in J&K, and the people there are keen for development and ready to look beyond political dynasts,” Chugh told Manish Anand in an interview. He also argued that the BJP can become an alternative to regional outfits in the southern parts of the country.
The BJP has set eyes on Telangana in a big way as part of ‘Mission South’. What are your expectations?
The BJP has a presence across the country. The BJP, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and party chief JP Nadda, has put forth a vision in which the poor occupy the centre stage. The leadership is reaching out to the people on the development agenda.
Why do you think the Centre’s welfare schemes will help the BJP gain foothold in the southern states?
PM Modi has emerged as a messiah of the poor. Earlier governments also talked of alleviating poverty but PM Modi has been able to execute his vision on the ground by connecting 40 crore people to the banking network so that they could become part of the economy. 10 crore toilets have been built to ensure dignity to the poor, while 19 crore LPG connections have ensured better health conditions for the women. These visible interventions establish the credentials of the BJP as a true champion of the poor.
Regional outfits have dominated electoral politics in the South. How do you envisage to measure up to their might?
The regional outfits have only fostered nepotism, corruption and favouritism. They nursed dynasties to protect their vested interests. Such dynasties have emerged as political demons, working against the interests of the people and the poor in particular. The people are fed up with them. People want good governance. They want to weed out corruption, nepotism and favouritism.
Will the BJP be looking for alliances in Telangana? The BJP will face the electoral challenges on its own.
How is the BJP going to fulfill its slogan of “freeing Hyderabad of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen”? People like Asaduddin Owaisi are spreading poison. They are in the business of the politics of hate. They will soon see the end of their political career. It has already started. The people of Telangana have blessed the BJP in a big way in the Dubbaka Assembly bypolls. This is the turning point.
The DDC elections in Jammu and Kashmir are taking place in the shadow of the Gupkar declaration. How is the BJP gearing up to meet the challenge?
Those who mercilessly looted J&K for decades have come together under the banner of Gupkar declaration. The outfits of Abdullah and sons and Mufti and daughter pocketed all the benefits in the past several decades. Their offspring studied abroad while the youth in the Valley were handed stones and guns. The dilution of Article 370 has opened up vast avenues of opportunities for the youth. The people no more suppor t the two dynasties.
When can people expect elections for the J&K Assembly as promised by the government?
We are committed to the restoration of a vibrant and strong democracy in J&K. We will fulfil all aspects of democratic norms for the people. The people in J&K will elect their representatives freely for the Gram Panchayats, DDC, Assembly and Lok Sabha.
The BJP is seen as an outfit with base in Jammu. How is it going to reach out to the Valley?
Our political opponents allege that the BJP has no presence in the Valley. If so, then why have the National Conference and the PDP joined hands with the Congress as their coach. They have realized that the people have no sympathy for them after decades of corruption, nepotism and favouritism. The BJP is reaching out to the people on the agenda of empowering them to take decisions for development.
How is the BJP gearing up to the challenge of the alienation of youth as claimed by your opponents? Who killed Kashmiriyat and Jamhooriyat?
Kashmir was a Sufi land. The Valley saw the confluence of diverse cultures. Devotees thronged Chahar- e-Sharief, Shankaracharya temple and Church at the Lal Chowk. That was destroyed by separatists. The BJP offers that agenda of ‘Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas’, and the vision if for all, including Sunnis, Shias, Hindus, Sikhs and Christians.