Rajasthan Congress chief Sachin Pilot says PM Modi cannot ‘dissociate’ himself from Raje govt, which he accuses of ‘mis-rule’. Rajasthan votes on 7 December.
New Delhi: The ruling BJP continues to believe Narendra Modi’s final campaign push can tilt the scales in its favour in Rajasthan, but state Congress chief Sachin Pilot says “last-minute carpet bombing” by the PM will not make much difference.
“It is okay for the Prime Minister to go to Karnataka and criticise the Congress government and ask for votes for the BJP. But how can he as PM, or Mr Amit Shah, go to Rajasthan and dissociate themselves from Vasundharaji‘s government?” Pilot asked.
“They have to be answerable for the five years of government Vasundharaji has given. And she is the face of the BJP and the campaign,” Pilot told ThePrint in an exclusive interview.
“Going and making speeches etc. can work in some places, but where you are the second side of the same coin, it’s difficult for people to fall for your speeches again,” he said.
“I am quite confident that despite the last-minute push the BJP and its troops will give in the campaign in Rajasthan, people will not believe that. I don’t think last-minute carpet bombing will make that much of a difference,” he added.
Rajasthan votes on 7 December. In the assembly 2013 elections, the Vasundhara Raje-led BJP stormed to power, winning 163 of the 200 seats. In the Lok Sabha polls that followed in 2014, the BJP won all 25 seats in the state. Since then, however, the rising unpopularity of the Raje government and a series of missteps have cost the party dearly, losing a string of assembly and Lok Sabha bypolls.
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On BJP’s ‘mis-rule’
“Vasundhara ji got a historic mandate; BJP won 163 of 200 seats. With that kind of mandate and a friendly government in Delhi, she could have changed the face of Rajasthan,” Pilot said.
“Sadly, what she has done is betrayal of that trust. When she was running for office (in 2013), Vasundharaji made about 611 promises. And now, just half an hour before the code of conduct was to be implemented, she tried to announce some sops for farmers,” he said.
“Now who in the world will believe she actually meant that? For four years, 11 months, 29 days and 11 and a half hours, you didn’t worry about the farming community. This shows insecurity in BJP,” Pilot said.
The BJP’s tenure in the state has also been marred by the tense equations between Raje and the central leadership, including party chief Amit Shah, which led to a major delay in the appointment of the state BJP president. Pilot believes this “cold war has also hampered governance in Rajasthan”.
The Rajasthan PCC chief claims Dalits, women and tribals, besides communities belonging to upper castes, feel let down by the BJP government.
On Congress’ revival
Of the five states that face elections in November and December, it is Rajasthan the Congress seems most confident about, given the number of bypolls it has won in the past five years. Also, with the state sending 25 seats to the Lok Sabha, the Congress is keen on ensuring it maximises on its gains in the state to ensure a boost in the 2019 polls as well.
“In the Congress, people are seeing a positive narrative, a blueprint for the future and a clear roadmap of how we wish to re-establish people’s trust in the government of the day, which they have lost,” Pilot said.
“People of Rajasthan want to see a Congress government… I am confident when elections happen on 7 December, people will vote decisively for change and repose their faith in the Congress party,” he said.
The former Lok Sabha MP says it is because the Congress started preparing for 2018 in 2013 itself that it has managed to receive a boost.
“We didn’t get into election mode a few months before. December 2013 onward, we were on the street,” he added.
On Pilot versus Gehlot
The perceived underlying tension between former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot and Pilot has often been talked about. The Congress high command has also refrained from indicating who could be the chief minister if the party were to win the polls. Pilot, however, dismisses the insinuations of any rift.
“I can’t think of one incident that can lend credence to this thought. The fact that Congress party is so resilient and strong, and has bounced back — we won 20 of the 22 assembly by-elections in the last four years — there is no way we could have been so successful had there been any dissensions within the party,” he said.
Asked about whether he harbours ambitions of being the CM of Rajasthan, Pilot said the decision was up to the party high command.
“No harm in having ambitions but any ambition that blinds you isn’t good. I am a very practical person, I’ve done my job. Now what the future holds, I don’t know,” he said.
“It’s a stated party policy. Barring a rare exception or two, the Congress party has fought elections on issues and the entire spectrum of our leadership,” Pilot said on why the Congress had not declared a CM face.
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On national politics
Pilot, a former Union minister, said the Congress is looking at a revival not just in Rajasthan, but even nationally and that the party needs to win key states for that. He also said there has been a change in the tone of the BJP’s narrative in the past five years.
“Things have changed. Five years ago, when BJP was in opposition, they promised good governance, investment, eradicating corruption and poverty etc. Today the narrative has changed,” he said.
“Now they are talking about renaming cities, being unhappy with the Supreme Court over the Ram Mandir issue. They are trying to deflect attention from what the main issues were,” Pilot said.
“The Congress party needs to win crucial states. That will give us the impetus required to go to the Lok Sabha polls,” he added.
The biggest concern for the Congress, however, is the popularity of Modi versus the perceived weak leadership of Congress president Rahul Gandhi.
“Any incumbent has an advantage. This is a larger country. It’s not a binary. Issues are more important than names and faces of leaders,” Pilot stressed.
The only issue of some academic interest in Rajasthan is the margin of victory.