‘A new record will be made in UP polls this year’

Union information and broadcasting minister Anurag Thakur, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s co-in-charge of the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections spoke to Hindustan’s editor-in-chief

and special correspondent

Shashi Shekhar Ramnarayan Srivastav,

on the party’s prospects in the ongoing polls. Edited excerpts

You have just returned from UP. As the BJP’s co-incharge of the state elections, how do you see the chances of your party?

We promised five years ago to rid UP of crime and corruption. We have sincerely worked towards it. As data suggest, most of mafia elements in the state are lodged in jails. Security is the most important subject for a nation or a state. Opportunities for education, jobs, self-employment and business will come only when security is established. Investments and development will also follow. We have provided security to women and traders and its benefit in the last five years is for everyone to see. Before 2017, industries would leave the state, but now investment of over ₹4 lakh crore has come in. We promised 7 million jobs and self-employment, but we delivered nearly 30 million. This could only be possible due to the efforts of the “double engine” governments to improve security and implement various central schemes on the ground at a brisk pace. A large section of the society has come forward to support the Modi and Yogi governments because of our welfare schemes for the poor. We have both on development and security. In UP, development work for roads, railways, airports, medical infrastructure, even basic amenities such as water have brought a big change. In my view, while the people of UP voted for the BJP in record numbers in 2017 and 2019, a new record will be made in the ongoing elections.

You are talking about records, but your direct competition is against an alliance that has formed a social rainbow similar to what your party did. Do you think it will affect BJP’s chances?

The BJP has the leadership of (PM Narendra) Modi and (CM)Yogi (Adityanath), who don’t have any allegations against them. There are others who don’t even have the backing of their families and party workers, why would the people of state support them?... I believe the people of UP are very sensible. I say this because the elimination of Congress in the state started a long time ago. People here also witnessed a bad phase under the rule of the SP and BSP, but they have now gotten rid of governments led by Babua (a popular term for boy in UP that the BJP has been using to target SP chief Akhilesh Yadav) and Bua (common term for aunt, aimed at BSP chief Mayawati). Now the people of UP won’t accept any loss. We have a progressive and influential leadership. On the other side are the corrupt people with opposing views. What is their reputation? I want to point out that Akhilesh (Yadav) has always been running away from responsibilities, be it as a son, or for the family, as a chief minister or even (from) moral responsibility. The people of UP won’t give responsibility to someone who shies away from responsibilities.

Both BSP and Congress are not appearing to be very effective in these polls. It clearly means that people want to see a direct contest. Akhilesh has emerged as the face of the opposition.

Even if I accept this, how will it make any big difference? They (SP) are confined to politics of appeasement — divide and rule. They depend on caste equations, but look at the nearly eight-year period since the formation of the Modi government in 2014. Be it jobs, benefits of various government schemes, we don’t differPM entiate in terms of caste and religion. We have worked with the main formula of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas’. It has benefitted the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes, backward classes and other poor classes that include both Hindus and Muslims. But who has been taking their votes for the past 70 years? They (the opposition) have been getting votes in the name of the poor, Muslims, and backward castes, but once in power, they only care about making money and promoting their family members while ignoring these communities. A large section will come with the BJP because we have worked for the welfare of the poor. We have built 4.3 million pucca houses, gave 15 million electricity connections, 18.6 million cooking gas connections under the Ujjwala Yojana, free ration to 150 million people twice a month, tap water in every house in over 30,000 panchayats and medical treatment to 500,000 people. UP has a large population of the people who have been benefitted directly without any discrimination.

Maybe this is why Akhilesh Yadav has announced a pension scheme, promised to provide free electricity etc . Do you think it will have a negative impact on your party?

I can only laugh at him. He was the chief minister for five years and before him, Mulayam Singh. Mayawati was also the CM. But until 2017, elderly people, widows, destitute women and differently abled were getworked ting ₹300 monthly pension. Yogi ji increased it to ₹1,000. Now, we are going to make it ₹1,500, which means the government will give them ₹18,000 a year. During their tenure, there was no electricity. People would use electric wires for drying clothes.

You sound so confident, but before the polls there was a lot of manoeuvreing going on in your party. Ministers left the party, so did MLAs. How do you see this?

There are some people who look for a new master every five years. Such people won’t be spared this time. Not just their seats, they’ve even quit their districts. Samajwadi Party is giving tickets to criminals and historysheeters. If we talk about Muzaffarnagar and Mau riots, those who were involved in riots are named in SP and its allies’ candidate lists. People haven’t forgotten about Mau riots... People know who the accused are. Who is supporting them today? Therefore, it does not matter who has quit the party. See the number of people who have joined the party. More than 55 former ministers, MLCs, MLAs and central ministers have joined the BJP.

When you have so many welfare schemes, then why do you rake up issues like Kashi-Mathura?

Besides being centres of faith, the Ram Temple and Kashi Vishwanath Dham also protect our cultural heritage, promote tourism and showcase India’s strength of cultural diversity to the world. From Yoga to cultural heritage, these are a big gift from Modi. Kashi is an ancient city. The government has provided modern facilities. We have protected our cultural heritage, promoted tourism and opened venues for jobs and self-employment. When the grand Ram Temple will be built and Ayodhya developed as a pilgrimage centre, then people won’t just come to visit the temple, it will also open venues for local jobs and self-employment. Similarly, Kushinagar airport completes the Buddhist circuit.

Is Mathura part of the agenda?

We deliver on our promises. BJP had said that Ram Temple was part of our agenda, we delivered on it. Even though Kashi Vishwanath was not (part of BJP’s agenda), we still did it.

The Uttarakhand chief minister said that there will be a dress code for school uniform. Will the BJP fulfil its old promise of a Uniform Civil Code?

This is part of our election manifesto. We came to power in 2014. Decisions like Article 370, 35A and Ram Temple take time, but we fulfilled our promise. Look at the work done in the first six months (after the party returned to power). Be it NRC, CAA, or revocation of Article 370 and 35A or making our sisters get rid of triple talaq or now increasing the age of marriage for our daughters from 18 to 21 years. We have done everything for women empowerment. People link these decisions with religions. Uniform Civil Code will also empower women.