With polling in the first two phases of the ongoing Lok Sabha election concluded, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav appeared confident of winning comprehensively. Being his party’s star campaigner, he has so far addressed 107 political rallies, with 125 more to go, speaking on average at five rallies a day. Mr. Yadav says that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speeches are devoid of any constructive agenda and full of hatred. He also termed Mr. Modi’s campaign as deeply communal and prejudiced. Mr. Yadav strongly condemned the arrest of two Chief Ministers, Hemant Soren and Arvind Kejriwal, a few weeks ahead of the Lok Sabha election. Speaking of the low voter turnout, Mr. Yadav said that the Election Commission of India (ECI) must be transparent and prompt in putting out the turn out and polling data. The Hindu caught up with him at 10, Circular Road, official residence of his mother, former Chief Minister Rabri Devi, in Patna, before he boarded a helicopter for another campaign foray.
Excerpts from an interview:
You are claiming that surprising results will be seen in Bihar. What gives you the confidence?
Like I said, we have been getting a very good response. People are responding to our campaign very positively. We are holding a lot of meetings, listening to people and amplifying their concerns. Life and livelihood issues are occupying the central rostrum. Besides, an overwhelming majority is worried on account of the BJP’s double speak on the Indian Constitution.
For the past 10 years, the BJP-led NDA has been in power and the Constitution has not been changed. On what ground do you claim it will be changed?
Undermining of the Parliament, haphazard policy-making, bullying and misuse of independent institutions, constant attacks on federalism, economic policies that only benefit a few industrial families, communal politics — the list is long and I can go on and on about the damage the BJP and NDA (National Democratic Alliance) have done to the Constitution. Several of their leaders have said so themselves. Their ideological gurus, the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) has openly voiced the egalitarian ethos of the Constitution and held it in contempt. The 400-seat slogan was to change the Constitution formally, which they have been undermining and attacking through underhanded means in the last decade.
There is a lot of talk about low voter turnout in the first two phases of Lok Sabha polls. What do you make of it?
One, the Election Commission of India (ECI) should have planned the elections efficiently. Such long elections in peak summer are totally avoidable. Two, the ECI must be transparent and prompt in putting out the turnout and polling data. By being slow and inefficient, they are not doing any credit to their own image.
Do you think that the arrest of two Chief Ministers of the country will make any impact?
Two very popular Chief Ministers have been arrested weeks before the elections. In any other country, it would have been a scandal and set the alarms ringing. It is a disgrace that they have still not been released. This shows that the BJP and NDA are scared of their popularity. I want to acknowledge the deep commitment and courage of Ms. Kalpana Soren (wife of former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren) and Ms. Sunita Kejriwal (wife of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal) here. They are leading a spirited campaign and frustrating Mr. Modi so much that he has dropped all pretence of decency and civility in discourse.
Amit Shah said that if the INDIA bloc is voted to power, the PM post would be shared among its partners for one year each. Your response?
I would not like to dignify this petty lie with a response. Mr. Shah is a senior leader and Union Minister. He should uphold the dignity of his office. The people can see through such juvenile propaganda.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi continuously attacked the RJD on its ‘jungle raj’, corruption and dynasty politics.
I will yet again challenge PM Modi to talk about people’s issues, including jobs, health and education. I will yet again challenge PM Modi to present his report card on the tall promises of development. I will yet again challenge PM Modi to fight the elections on the basis of his performance but he is yet to respond. He continues with his deeply communal and prejudiced campaign. His allegations are actually confessions — the BJP rule has given rise to lawlessness, corruption and nepotism all over. I am amazed that the PM can campaign for a mass rapist (a reference to Janata Dal-Secular leader in Karnataka Prajwal Revanna), and without a hint of irony, blame others.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is saying that he provided the jobs and you are unnecessarily taking the credit.
I will give a short answer to this. Please ask him to show as productive a 17 months from his long tenure as when I was the Deputy CM.
As per your calculation, how many seats will the INDIA bloc get and how many will the BJP-led NDA secure?
We will win comprehensively. The scale of our victory will be clearer to everyone as the polling comes to close.
How do you take the PM’s remark in which he attacked the Opposition for distributing private wealth and inheritance tax?
As I said earlier, every allegation is a confession. PM Modi has drained the national wealth and given it away to his friends. His illegal electoral bonds were the mechanism through which public wealth was given to selected industrialists. His supporters are busy deleting their old social media posts where they advocated inheritance tax. Even young YouTubers have fact-checked the PM and caught him lying time and again on this issue. The BJP and the NDA’s entire campaign is based on lies and polarisation.
What difference do you find between the 2020 Assembly election campaign, in which you campaigned aggressively, now you are doing it again?
The difference from the 2020 Assembly election campaign and now is that the anger among the people has increased. It was the pandemic time and there was a lot of distress because of the handling of the situation by the Central government. But things have only become worse, especially for the youth. They are out of patience now. They want to throw out this government. We are interacting with them closely and getting a very good response. The issues pertaining to unemployment are resonating with everyone, irrespective of caste and creed.
What would be the impact of the resentment in both the RJD and the Congress as many have quit their respective parties?
We are ultimately answerable to the people. This is a very important election and we are fighting to defend and safeguard the Constitution. People are looking for change and we must provide them with an alternative. We must deliver for them. All other considerations are secondary, and during the election season, it happens invariably with all political parties.
Do you think that vote transfer will also take place the way seat division has been done among the INDIA partners? What steps have been taken for coordination among the workers at the ground level?
Yes, we are closely coordinating with all the partners. Also, all the party workers are resolutely united against the divisive and anti-people attitude of the BJP and NDA. The Prime Minister’s speeches are devoid of any constructive agenda and full of hatred, and that is driving people in droves towards us. People are looking for a principled alternative that can defeat the BJP and NDA — and that is us.
