After two phases of Lok Sabha polling Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav looked confident of a comprehensive win. The party’s star campaigner has so far addressed 107 rallies and 125 more to go. On an average he is addressing five rallies a day. Mr. Yadav asserted 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 a few weeks before the Lok Sabha poll. Speaking over the low voter turnout, Mr. Yadav said that Election Commission of India (ECI) must be transparent and prompt in putting out the turnout and polling data. He also claimed that vote transfer will also take place the way seat distribution has been done among the INDIA (Indian National Developmental, Inclusive Alliance) partners. The Hindu caught up with him at the official residence of former Chief Minister Rabri Devi in Patna before he boarded a helicopter for another campaign.
You are claiming that surprising results would come 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 ten years, the BJP-led NDA is in power and the Constitution has not been changed, on which ground you are continuously claiming that the Constitution 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 have done to the Constitution. Several of their leaders have said so themselves. Their ideological gurus, the RSS, has openly voiced the egalitarian ethos of the Constitution and hold it in contempt. The 400-seat slogan was to change the Constitution formally that 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 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 the NDA are scared of their popularity. I want to acknowledge the deep commitment and courage of Ms. Kalpana Soren and Ms. Sunita Kejriwal here. They are leading a spirited campaign and frustrating PM Modi so much that he has dropped all pretence of decency and civility in discourse.
Amit Shah said that if the INDIA block voted to power, the PM post would be shared among its partners for one year each?
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 for Jungle Raj, corruption and dynasty politics.
I will yet again challenge PM Modi to talk about people’s issues, like 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 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 17 months from his long tenure which was as productive as when I was his Deputy.
As per your calculation, how many seats INDIA bloc will get and BJP-led NDA will 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 remark of the PM 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 kind of difference do you find in the 2020 Assembly election campaign in which you campaigned aggressively and now you are doing it again?
The difference from the 2020 Assembly elections 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 got 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 the 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 a 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 the 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 the NDA and that is us.
