Jaipur: “Unki ekta haathi ke daant jaisi hai, khane ke aur, dikhane ke aur (their act of unity is like elephant’s teeth, one for eating, another for show),” said Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Satish Poonia, when asked about the display of unity by Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his former deputy Sachin Pilot.
Dismissing speculation about a leadership vacuum in the party’s state unit, the former president of Rajasthan BJP reiterated the party’s mantra of ‘collective leadership’. That the BJP has so many chief ministerial prospects is a strength, he insisted, adding that the party is confident of wresting Rajasthan from the Congress.
ThePrint caught up with Satish Poonia on the campaign trail.
The sitting MLA from Amber, among the largest assembly segments in Jaipur city, Poonia has been pitted against Prashant Sharma of the Congress this time.
“There is no bigger face than that of Modi ji in the world. The way he has emerged as a global leader (vishwa nayak), the world’s eyes are on him. There was a time when these Congress leaders used to say we have a leadership crisis and today the same leaders and the CM (Gehlot) are saying that the BJP has over a dozen CM aspirants,” Poonia said, interacting with villagers while his supporters chanted “Jai Shri Ram” in the background.
The BJP has been showcasing PM Modi prominently in its election campaigns. Modi himself conveyed to voters during a public meeting in Chittorgarh in October that the only face to remember on polling day should be that of the lotus (the BJP’s election symbol).
Asked about the demand by supporters of former chief minister Vasundhara Raje that she be declared the party’s CM face, Poonia said the party’s ability to develop “collective leadership” adds to its strength. “This absence of leadership is, in fact, an issue of the Congress which can’t think beyond one family. No new leadership could come up in Congress and so the crisis of leadership is in the Congress and not the BJP,” he said, carrying out his door-to-door campaign to the beat of drums and slogans.
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‘Ram & development go hand-in-hand’
Poonia further said that contrary to what the Congress might suggest, Lord Ram is a matter of faith for the BJP.
“Ram is a symbol of our faith. When we talk about protecting Sanatan Dharma, nationalism, all of it is related to Ram. Our agenda is very clear: Ram and development,” Poonia told ThePrint, while attacking the Congress for indulging in appeasement politics.
The BJP has been projecting Ram Mandir as a poll issue in Rajasthan. Addressing a public meeting in Amber Monday, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath invited voters to Ayodhya for the consecration ceremony of the idol of Ram Lalla next January. He also made it a point to remind voters that the party kept its promise of building a Ram temple in Ayodhya.
In Alwar, Adityanath also criticised the Gehlot-led Congress government for “banning” Ram Navami processions and “imposing a curfew”.
Hitting out at the Congress for not delivering on the poll promises it made in 2018, Poonia told ThePrint that voters in Rajasthan have made up their mind to oust Gehlot.
The Congress, he said, made tall promises in 2018 but could not fulfil these, “whether it was the loan waiver, (promise of) providing employment or improving law and order”.
“The guarantees Congress is showcasing are nothing but a political gimmick. Rajasthan’s public won’t fall for this trap again. The law and order situation in the state is dismal. It is the number one state as far as unemployment, exam paper leaks are concerned,” he said.
The people of Rajasthan will guarantee that the Congress is voted out of power, he added.
Terming the show of ‘unity’ by Gehlot and Pilot as fake, Poonia said the reality is that both Congress leaders can’t see eye to eye.
“Unki ekta haathee ke daant jaise hai khane ke aur dikhane ke aur (their show of unity is fake). The conflict between them, which has been there since 2018, is ongoing and will continue.”
As for who the BJP will pick as its CM if voted into power, Poonia said: “PM has clearly said that the lotus is our face. We are clear and following the party’s directions to fight and win under collective leadership. We will accept whatever the party decides once we win.”
Seen as the Jat face of the BJP, Poonia was also asked if the party would go for an OBC as chief minister if it wins in Rajasthan.
He responded by saying that the BJP “represents all sections of society”.
“Hence, there is no conflict within the party regarding any social engineering. Once the time is right, all these questions will get answered.”
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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