NDA votes are intact, we must work on fence sitters: Ram Vilas Paswan

After the Telugu Desam Party’s walk out and muscle flexing by the Shiv Sena, Union Minister and president of NDA ally, the Lok Janshakti Party,Ram Vilas Paswantalks of dynamics within the coalition and upcoming general elections.

You recently said the BJP needs to correct the anti-minority, anti-Dalit perception.

No other government has done as much for minority and Dalits, as the Narendra Modi government. The BJP is in alliance with the PDP, who were considered the most hard line among all the political parties in Kashmir. In the northeast, which has sizeable minority population, BJP has formed government in all States except for Mizoram. But in spite of all this, some statements by few BJP leaders lend fuel to the opposition’s campaign against us. Now look at Congress; they did not do anything, but they ruled on the basis of pro-minority slogans. All I am saying is that if the government has not done anything that would hurt any particular caste or minority, then why should this perception prevail? People need to be held accountable.

Are the results of recent bypolls in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh a warning sign for the NDA?

Bihar and Uttar Pradesh elections can’t be clubbed. In Bihar, sympathy wave worked in all the three bypolls. In U.P. Gorakhpur results were unexpected . It was Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s constituency which he had held for several years. He himself has said that elections were lost due to overconfidence of BJP. It will be analysed and we will know the reasons. In both these seats, we saw the social engineering by SP-BSP alliance trump over development agenda.

So if the SP-BSP alliance continues in 2019 then how will NDA counter it?

We will have to come up with a counter strategy accordingly. Now Mayawati may control a section of Dalit votes, but she does not bag all the Dalit votes. She will not get Khatiks, Passi or Paswan votes, so that we should target those. And carefully select the candidates.

Are the allies leaving NDA because of BJP’s arrogance?

I don’t agree with this statement. As far as Shiv Sena is concerned, their constituency and BJP’s constituency is the same. So it is obvious, for the fear of losing their own identity, they do not want to look like they are surrendering in front of BJP. As far as TDP is concerned, it is purely political reasons . Now how can the government grant special status to Andhra Pradesh, then what about Bihar?

What is the difference between the NDA under Atal Behari Vajpayee and the one under Narendra Modi?

Atal Behari Vajpayee’s government was a coalition government; it was an ‘NDA’ government. Under Narendra Modi, BJP has full majority. Therefore, the BJP’s manifesto will get priority. At the same time, the government in last four years, has done nothing which would hurt our secular values or disturb the social equilibrium.

A pattern the BJP cannot ignore

Are the political winds are changing?

No, I don’t think so. In every election year you see a similar atmosphere. The NDA votes are intact, but we need to work on the fence sitters. So we need to carefully select candidates, based on the caste arithmetic on the ground. It means if in a constituency there is a sizeable minority vote, we should have a minority candidate. I firmly believe that NDA will remain in government for next ten years. Narendra Modi is Prime Minister and he shall continue to be. And it is unthinkable for Lok Janshakti Party to leave NDA.