‘Such an alliance in UP can change the country’

On campaign in western UP, the Chief Minister discusses Samajwadi Party’s new brand and Congress alliance with SEEMA CHISHTI

INTERVIEW: AKHILESH YADAV

How did the sense of ‘newness’ in the Samajwadi Party come about?

This is not just one day’s work, that you can see around you today. The government’s work or manifesto is above petty concerns, like whose seat went out in the samjhauta. Around you are some people who themselves and their fathers were MPS but are not contesting these seats, yet they are with us. This is because the party manifesto is about what we can do to the generations to come and in the time to come... Give Metros to cities, give laptops. Now the PM and BJP people are saying, we should transfer money digitally and do things digital... We said, you want to give mobiles? We got smartphones registered online, so 1.40 crore have registered online. Why not through a laptop? In this area, there must be no village in Muzaffarnagar where the Samajwadi laptop has not reached... They are saying you will make a special task force to prevent palaayan [exodus]. We have said we have introduced a number, 1090, so if any girl is in trouble and is harassed she can be helped and attended to if she dials this.

You said in Khatauli mandi that it is an election not just for UP but for India.

You recall my first campaign? I said we are moving forward on ummeed. So people want well-being and change and are full of hope... health, bijli, sadak, paani, education, employment. All these youngsters you can see want employment. How will that happen? So we have tried to fight with that, at least those parties that have slogans but not much on the ground, to get together with them. If koshish pakki ho, then we can at least get their stamp on our resolve. With this, we have given a message to the country that if there is such an alliance, especially from UP, then I think you will see changes in the country and national politics. If 73 BJP MPS had not won from here then maybe there would not have been such a powerful sarkar in the country.

Senior leaders some related to you are speaking of going rebel.

See, some people in our party are also angry and say that we should not have given so many seats to the Congress. I said, if dosti ho rahi hai, gatbandhan ho raha hai to kam se kam bade dil se hona chaise. At least Samajwadis demonstrated that bada dil, large heart. Whatever rancour was there in the party has perhaps ended... I think all this talk about making another party, going in another direction... Now, after this victory, whose respect will be enhanced the most? Who will be the happiest? It will be Netaji, that his party is again in power. And I think that is happening. The only question is how many seats.

You have said 300 seats so often that this sounds like a climbdown now.

I won’t go below 300. I will cross it. We are in an area [western UP] that is meant to be our weak point. These people must know the price of sugarcane and I announced it in the budget. After Independence, there must be no government that has set aside Rs 2,000 crore for agriculture. Others announce intentions, but we have given it. Free irrigation and for crops damaged, we have compensated farmers, Rs 2,400 crore…18 lakh laptops distributed…55 lakh pensions.

Your opponents associate your party with goonda raj.

All that has changed now. For law and order, our effort has been to use the best ever practices from around the world, the finest technology, and firm up the idea of policing. Call 100, the phone is picked up, no one speaks badly to you, the police reach on time. We will strengthen this much more.

For the events in Muzaffarnagar early in your tenure, people think you lost out with Muslims and Hindus both.

Whatever happened in Muzaffarnagar saddens me. And the day it happened, right through the day I was giving instructions to police on officers on the ground, to police, DGP, that this incident has happened, please do whatever it takes do control it somehow, do something... All those who lost their lives lost it to neighbours and those they knew, between 6 and 7.30 am. Nothing happened in the evening, just rumours. In hindsight it was wise to not rush in the Army right away. But don’t forget, who spreads and fans all this? Those who are accusing me are responsible for this. They may have done this to hurt us politically, but look at how much damage to the national fabric it has done... Some things could not be stopped. But later we did all we could to help victims of all sorts.

The budget was presented early this time; any comments?

We thought the government is specially bringing out the budget before elections and there will be something for UP, kisan, employment, but the entire state and nation have been disappointed. I have never said this before, but I am saying it now, when there was this talk of pushing Rs 15 lakh into accounts, we thought that this budget will have something for the poor, if not Rs 15 lakh, then Rs 15,000 to everyone, at least do something for the poor. But nothing. And now so much black money has entered the banks, ghareebon ka sab ka paisa jamaa kar liye bank mein. What will happen to that money now?

Some BJP leaders say that Kairana in western UP is like Kashmir. They are speaking of palaayan and hinting at a Hindu-muslim divide.

I can say that in a democracy, political parties take their manifesto to the people, to offer better things to the people... Will speaking of Kashmir give jobs? I say that these people have nothing for people’s ‘ welfare or uplift, and so bring in all these issues to mislead people.

Mulayam Singh Yadav was angry first, now he has said he will campaign from February 9. Will he?

See, I have been saying this from the start that when the election results come out, and we win. The happiest will be Netaji. His respect will go up the most. I want him to campaign whenever he wants. Ninth, 10th, 11th or the 8th.

Tomorrow is a roadshow with Rahul Gandhi again?

Yes, that is good. You should also come and see for yourself.

Oinam Anand