We are better prepared

Interview with Rajnath Singh, president, Bharatiya Janata Party.

Rajnath Singh, president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), is euphoric since his partys remarkable electoral victory in Karnataka. According to BJP insiders, the higher echelons of the Sangh Parivar have credited the

Frontline met Rajnath Singh in Delhi as he was preparing to leave for Bangalore to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the Yeddyurappa government in the State. Excerpts:

Even as the election results were coming in, you described the BJPs performance as a historic milestone, which underlined the expansion of the base of the party not only in political and ideological terms but al

There are several factors that contributed to this historic victory. The principal long-term factor would be the sustained political and ideological work carried out by our workers in the BJP as well as in other Sangh Parivar organisations for decades, leading to the building up of a robust organisational machinery.

The main medium-term factor is the track record of the BJP and National Democratic Alliance [NDA] governments at the Centre and in States like Gujarat. The people of Karnataka had an occasion to compare their sterling performance with that of other parties such as the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular), especially over the past five years, and realised that the BJP and the NDA alone had a comprehensive perspective on governance, which kept the interests of the people and the development of the country in mind.

The rampaging price rise and the repeated failures of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance [UPA] government at the Centre in the realm of internal security strengthened this comparative perspective.

Among the many short-term or immediate factors, there was the emotive appeal of the BJP as a party that was shamelessly betrayed by the JD(S) in the months preceding the elections.

How would you grade these factors in terms of their value or in terms of their contribution to victory?

It would be difficult to grade them objectively, for all these factors have become important, although at varying points of our political and organisational trajectory in Karnataka. However, as an organisation man, I have a special regard for the sustained and selfless political-ideological-organisational work carried out by the workers of all Sangh Parivar organisations.

What are the political-organisational plans to advance with this victory? Having got a foothold in South India, the BJP would be naturally looking forward to developing its influence in other South Indian States.

Our focus would be on enhancing the credibility of the party in South India. In other words, we would leave no stone unturned to fulfil the promises given to the people of Karnataka during the electioneering phase. It is on the strength of this committed work that we plan to expand our base in other South Indian States.

There is a stream of opinion that the Karnataka victory was possible for the BJP essentially on account of two factors. First, the emotional public sentiment against the betrayal by the JD(S). Second, money power in the BJPs election campaign

Such analysis does not do justice to either the people of Karnataka or to the committed workers of the BJP. While admitting that there was a huge public sentiment against the JD(S), it must be asserted that the BJPs victory was on the strength of the peoples appreciation for the party and not on money power.

In fact, the BJP has been in the forefront of the efforts to eradicate the play of money and muscle power in elections. We have even demanded to the Election Commission to come up with a strict policy and other measures to counter the effect of money and muscle power in the political process.

Doubts have been raised about the stability of the Yeddyurappa government too. It has been pointed out that the independents supporting your government have no political commitment.

But they are committed to the people and the larger interests of the State. That is why they could win the polls on their own.

That understanding would make them realise that the continuation of the Yeddyurappa government is in the best interests of the State.

How do you foresee the impact of the Karnataka elections in national politics?

The impact is there for all to see. To start with, it has given the BJP and the NDA an added vigour in preparing for the next round of Assembly elections, in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Delhi.

On the other side, the Congress is demoralised. We also see the distinct possibility of the Congress getting isolated from many of its partners in the UPA. And all this, naturally, would lead to the return of the BJP and the NDA at the Centre in the next Lok Sabha polls.

There is a view that the BJP is once again getting into a gratuitously overconfident mood just as it did five years ago. A few months before the last Lok Sabha elections in 2004, the BJP and the NDA had won the States of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. In fact, that was one of the reasons that prompted the NDA government at the Centre to advance the Lok Sabha polls. But, what awaited the BJP in the polls was a shock

There is no need to make such comparisons. We know what we are doing. We are much better prepared organisationally now. Ours was the only party in Karnataka to have booth committees in nearly 85 per cent of the polling booths. We have steadfastly developed booth committees across the country. We have active committees in more than 65 per cent of the polling booths in the country and these would increase substantially in numbers by the time the Lok Sabha elections are held. There would be no slip-ups this time around.

What will be the political thrust in the days to come? Will it be the same mixture of Hindutva and neoliberal economic policies, as was advanced in Gujarat and Karnataka?

See, more and more people are realising that Hindutva is not communal politics, as some political pundits are trying to brand. So, it would gather greater strength in the days to come.