‘Gadkari’s secrets will be exposed by the BJP,’ says Nana Patole

Former BJP MP turned Congress candidate says Nagpur’s voters will ensure that he wins

March 31, 2019 12:08 am | Updated 07:36 am IST - Nagpur

Seeking blessings:  Nana Patole, Congress candidate from Nagpur Lok Sabha constituency, at a campaign rally on Saturday at Sitaburdi in Nagpur.

Seeking blessings: Nana Patole, Congress candidate from Nagpur Lok Sabha constituency, at a campaign rally on Saturday at Sitaburdi in Nagpur.

 

Nana Patole has a history of taking on the most powerful politicians in the State. In 2009, he stood as an Independent from the Bhandara-Gondiya seat against the Nationalist Congress Party’s (NCP) Praful Patel . Though he suffered defeat, he returned as a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate in 2014 and trounced Mr. Patel. Three years later, he left the BJP after launching a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This election, he is contesting as a Congress candidate and posing a challenge to former BJP president and Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari in Nagpur. The Hindu joined him on his padyatra in Sitabuldi in Nagpur.

What are your prospects of winning against Mr. Gadkari?

I do not understand why people are so concerned about my opponent. If you go for a walk in Nagpur, you will see that my campaign is all about reaching out to people. I am visiting every household. You can also see the people who are walking with me. They are the workers of the Congress party. This is not a paid crowd. Can Mr. Gadkari do this? He cannot. The people are with me and I have no doubt that they will take me to victory. In my entire career, I have never depended on big leaders to win. In Nagpur, the common Congress workers and voters will ensure that I defeat Mr. Gadkari.

Both Mr. Gadkari and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis hail from Nagpur. Do you believe their claims of bringing development here through Metro and road projects?

Nagpur is facing mismanagement in the name of development. Their development model is nothing but to loot the people of Nagpur. If you ask anyone if the city needs a Metro today, the answer will be an emphatic ‘no’. From 2016, the Metro tax was imposed on voters here. People feel that the Metro is of no use. In 2014, Mr. Gadkari spoke about setting up industries in Mihan, building a cargo airport and generating employment. However, the existing industries closed down and the rate of unemployment grew. Though the BJP controls power from the Centre to the corporation, half the city does not have access to drinking water. The bills are paid but a private player called Lakhani is drawing all the benefits. Nagpur gets one of the costliest power bills. Accountability has to be fixed and people will vent their anger on Mr. Gadkari.

Providing statehood to Vidarbha was one of the major poll planks of the BJP in 2014. Has the issue been solved in the last five years?

This is a national election and Vidarbha cannot be the only issue. In 2014, Mr. Gadkari had promised a separate Vidarbha if the BJP came to power. When the people of Nagpur reminded him of his promise, he threatened to beat them up. The duplicitous nature of the party has been exposed.

How do you respond to being termed an outsider because you hail from Bhandara?

Who says I am an outsider? Mr. Gadkari too hails from Ramtek. Only people who do not believe in democracy will say such things. An Indian with a name on the voters list can contest from anywhere in the country. If a person does not believe in this basic principle of democracy, then why even send him to Parliament? I am fighting against a person who has been named in the [B.S.] Yeddyurappa diaries for accepting a bribe. Should voters really elect him from Nagpur?

Are you demanding action against Mr. Gadkari over the Yeddyurappa diaries?

Do we really need to? Did the Congress oppose Mr. Gadkari’s election as BJP president for a second time? His own party members were the ones who had levelled allegations of corruption and released details of his fake companies. We do not need to do anything about those diaries. Mr. Gadkari’s secrets will be exposed by the BJP itself. They are masters at it.

A few Dalit organisations had opposed your candidature over your alleged support to the accused in the 2006 Khairlanji massacre who belonged to the OBC community. Do you think the Dalits will vote for you?

I have done nothing wrong and I am not scared. After Khairlanji, I have been working as the people’s representatives till now. Had I done anything wrong then people would have never voted for me. I was a new MLA back then and even the constituency was different. When I realised the severity of the incident, I ensured that the rift between the Scheduled Castes and communities did not take place. Today, Bhandara sees the least number of crimes under the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act I am sure I did no wrong. There is not a single piece of evidence against me. While people accept Mr. Gadkari’s claims of the Yeddyurappa diaries being fake despite having his name on it, I am being subjected to scrutiny without even a single evidence.

Did you take the right decision by quitting the BJP?

We questioned Mr. Modi over farm failure, unemployment and implementation of GST. He wanted to destroy the farmers, the traders and the youth. How could I have been a party to it? So I quit two years before the elections. I have never played politics for power. It was always for the people and their rights. I am fighting for them again and I will surely win again.

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