Union Minister and BJP candidate in Dibrugarh, Sarbananda Sonowal, is confident about the BJP and its allies in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) bagging most of the 25 Lok Sabha seats in the Northeast to achieve the 400+ target. He also said Muslims have seen through the accusation of polarisation to join others to give a third consecutive term to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He faces the Assam Jatiya Parishad’s Lurinjyoti Gogoi, the only non-Congress candidate of the Opposition alliance in the State. Excerpts.
What makes you confident that the people will vote for the NDA?
In 2014, the people voted for stability and development within a time frame and they reposed their faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi because the BJP-led NDA under him delivered to create an ecosystem of transformation and empowerment. They have seen this transformation in their day-to-day life – from toilets to better quality houses, electricity, drinking water, cooking gas replacing firewood, financial assistance to people without any source of income, good roads, infrastructure and connectivity to the last border villages. People have got a taste of quality development and they will vote for the NDA to make India a major global economy.
Is the target of 400+ seats achievable without Muslims, whom the BJP is accused of polarising against?
Muslims have seen through the branding of the BJP as a polarising party. They are coming to the BJP because they know our credo of ‘sabka saath, sabka vikas’ (development for all, with all) has been genuine. If you ask any Muslim, you will find they are getting ration cards, housing, better road connectivity, etc. There has been no discrimination and all developmental projects and beneficiary schemes have been executed irrespective of caste, creed, and religion. The only condition for us is that the people should be bona fide Indian citizens. Like the others, Muslims will help the NDA win most of the 25 seats in the Northeast.
Does the Adivasi vote bank make you confident about the BJP’s victory?
It is not a question of vote bank. Hum unko uss dhang se nahi dekhte hai (We do not perceive them as vote banks). We believe in service to the people, the State, and the nation to empower and uplift the most backward – whether it is the Adivasis across the tea plantations or any other community.
But you have replaced Rameswar Teli, an Adivasi who won the Dibrugarh seat twice for the BJP?
We follow whatever the party decides. The party wanted me to return to the constituency from where I first won (in 2004 as a candidate of Asom Gana Parishad, BJP’s current ally) and he is helping with my campaign. Our party has certain policies and we respect them. I handed over the reins to Himanta Biswa Sarma after my term as the Chief Minister and became a Union Minister because we value the party’s decision.
What about the long-term demand for Scheduled Tribe status by the Adivasis and six other communities, who have a sizeable population in Dibrugarh?
Their status is under active consideration. It is not an election issue because the communities understand that the government is positive about giving it a shape.
Is the Citizenship (Amendment) Act an issue then?
It is not much of a factor because the people know Congress misinterpreted the CAA to reap political benefits. I am aware that my rivals refer to my crusade against the Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunal) Act which the Supreme Court scrapped in 2005. One has to understand that the IMDT was dangerous, discriminatory, unconstitutional, and undemocratic – imposed only on Assam without the consent of its people although there was the Foreigners’ Act of 1946 to detect illegal migrants. No suspected foreigner could have been identified through the IMDT under which the onus of proof lay with the complainant. The CAA, on the other hand, is a national law that allows religiously persecuted people (from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan) to live in the country. It is not Assam-specific and does not say only Assam will take the burden of refugees granted citizenship through it.
