‘We will defeat Narendra Modi and BJP in Chhattisgarh again’

Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel spoke to

Vinod Sharma

in Bhopal, where he was campaigning for senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh, about the Congress’s in his state, the impact polls there have on neighbouring Madhya Pradesh, and the development challenges facing his administration.

Edited excerpts:

The Congress’s performance in states where it is in direct fight with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will have a big impact on the final tally of the anti-bjp Opposition. What will the contribution to the score from Chhattisgarh be?

In the assembly elections, former CM Dr Raman Singh talked about Narendra Modiji’s bada chehra [big face]. But as the campaign progressed, Modi’s face got smaller and Raman Singh’s bigger on the BJP hoardings.

We defeated their leadership in the state and at the Centre by getting a threefourths majority.

The 15-year-old BJP regime got reduced to 15 seats in the 90-member House. We’ll repeat the performance in the parliamentary polls - we will win all of the 11 Lok Sabha seats.

You’re predicting a 100% strike rate. What miracle have you done in the few months you’ve been the CM since December 2018? Are you banking on a spillover effect of the assembly polls?

In the past three elections, the party that was in government in the state won the maximum parliamentary seats. The BJP has been winning with a 10-1 margin.

Their victory margins for the Lok Sabha seats used to be thin because we used to have about 39 assembly seats and they would have 49.

The gap, effectively, was of five seats - had they lost five to us, we could have the majority.

The seat difference this time was huge…

Yes, the gap is much bigger; we have 68 seats and they have 15. As per past trends, people will vote for us since we are in government.

Moreover, we’ve fulfiled the promises Rahul Gandhi made [in the assembly campaign] - farm loan waivers, ₹2,500 per quintal for paddy, enforcement of the forest rights act, reduction of power tariff by half, and the return of land acquired from tribals.

We did that in the 60 days before the model code of conduct kicked in for the Lok Sabha elections.

In urban areas, we’ve delivered on the registration of plots and simplification of land-use change. That has earned us credibility.

So you’re confident you will again defeat Modi in Chhattisgarh?

That’s right. Modi, this time, has had to become a Sahu [a prominent caste in Chattisgarh]. Earlier, he was a chaiwala [tea-seller], a fakir [ascetic], maa Ganga ka beta [son of the holy Ganga] and finally a chowkidar [watchman]. He claimed several identities, played many characters. But the people of Chhattisgarh recognise his true face.

You’re in Bhopal to campaign for Digvijaya Singh. Carved out of Madhya Pradesh, your state is perceived as MP’S young brother. Will the elder brother emulate the younger brother in these polls?

The elections in our state were over in the first three phases. Chhattisgarh has often influenced polls in MP and vice versa. In 2003, we lost in both states; we’re in power now in both states. We, therefore, expect a good outcome in MP as well.

Chhattisgarh is a mineral-rich state eyed by several interest groups. How do you balance that with popular needs?

We have 32% tribals, 13% Scheduled Castes, over 50% OBCS [other backward classes] and around 5% forward castes in the state. As farming is the main occupation, we first addressed the agrarian issues.

Chhattisgarh is the first state that pays ₹2,500 per quintal for paddy. In policy terms, we’re sticking to the slogan we gave to improve the state’s economy: Chhattisgarh ke char chinhari, narva, garuva, dhurva aur bidey, aila bachana hai sangvari [Chhattisgarh’s salience is in its rivulets, livestock, compost pits, and kitchen gardens]. Livestock, which we call pashudhan [animal treasure] is a cause now for worry.

We’re setting up sheds in each village with arrangements for fodder, water and compost pits to generating gas and fertiliser. Our goal is to turn livestock into assets rather than the threat they’ve become to the rural economy. We’re regenerating our rivers and rivulets.

What about mineral resources? In the past, mining gave rise to Maoism which fed on resentment over large-scale dislocation and destruction of tribal habitat.

We will ensure balance between mining and rehabilitation of population that’s impacted. We’ll implement laws addressing both issues. We cannot afford reckless mining and felling of forests. We have to act in the interest of all.

For starters, we have returned to 1,700 tribal families, 4,200 acres of land acquired for a project that did not take off. At the same time, we are opening opportunities for the agro industry in Chhattisgarh.