I don’t believe any one poll can be called a setback (for the BJP). But it’s definitely not good, says union minister.
New Delhi: The alliance between the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party in Uttar Pradesh is a matter of worry for the Bharatiya Janata Party, but it is nothing the ruling party cannot tackle in the 2019 polls, Union minister Manoj Sinha has said.
The alliance defeated the BJP in the two UP parliamentary constituencies that saw bypolls this month, including Gorakhpur, which the party had won in seven consecutive elections since 1991.
Speaking to ThePrint Editor-in-Chief Shekhar Gupta and Associate Editor Kumar Anshuman at ‘Off The Cuff’, Sinha echoed UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s assessment that overconfidence among party workers also had a role to play in the defeat.
However, he said the bypoll didn’t constitute a setback for the BJP. “I don’t believe any one poll can be called a setback. But it’s definitely not good for us and I assure you this won’t be repeated,” he added.
Asked how the BJP planned to counter the alliance, he answered, “With the politics of development.”
The ally problem
The BJP’s relationship with some of its allies has become complicated. While the Shiv Sena has said it would contest future elections on its own, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) recently quit the NDA over Andhra Pradesh’s demand for special status.
Sinha, however, said there could not be a more trustworthy ally than the BJP in Indian politics.
He added that the TDP’s departure had more to do with “its own politics in the state than with dissatisfaction with the alliance”. “The government cannot accord special status to Andhra as it is against policy, but has supported it in every way, including financially… Like (special states) Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu & Kashmir, we ensured that they get the maximum budget on central schemes,” he said.
“But the TDP’s rivals in the state made special status an issue that is emotional for voters and they (TDP) had to play along. This is the reason they left,” Sinha added.
Asked about the opposition’s efforts to unite for an alliance against the BJP ahead of 2019, Sinha said, “We will accept whatever challenge comes our way. But first, let them first decide who their leader will be.”
Defends carrying arms during Ram Navami
Asked about the controversial Ram Navami processions last week where participants carried arms, Sinha said it was nothing new.
“I don’t think anything unusual is happening now. Weapons have been carried in some parts of the country as part of the processions. Lord Ram is the epitome of shaurya (courage) and these arms are celebrated,” he added.
“If processions for Ram Navami don’t happen here, where else will they happen? Our Muslim friends also do it. So it is fine for everyone to do so, but, yes, no one should provoke others through it,” he said. “It should be done peacefully”.
Sinha also dismissed as media speculation the reports that he was the BJP’s initial choice for the post of UP chief minister.
“I was never in the race. I am fully satisfied with the BJP’s choice… This is the best choice,” he added.
