Congress’ Rajkot candidate Paresh Dhanani is trying his luck, this time against Union Minister Parshottam Rupala. In Rajkot, the Kshatriya community protested against Rupala after he recently made a derogatory comment about the women of the community. Dhanani, who is the former leader of the opposition of Gujarat, is confident of the public’s support.
Excerpts.
You are fighting a tough seat...
The BJP has always been successful in Gujarat where people vote along the divisive lines of caste and religion. I am fighting this election to stop this agenda. The BJP has never sought votes for their work. From the gram panchayat to Parliament, sarpanch to the Prime Minister, the BJP has been seeking votes through divisive politics. People are now seeing through BJP’s game.
Twenty years ago, you had defeated Rupala in Amreli. Are you confident of repeating this victory?
The 2024 election is about saving India, the Constitution. The idea of India is about unity in diversity. This unity is in danger. Who wins in Rajkot is not a personal concern. We want the INDIA bloc to win.
Do you think the Rajput protests will have an impact on the election?
The protests are not limited to a single community. Earlier, the BJP had disrespected Dalit women. During the Patidar agitation, they beat up women. Now it is the same case with Kshatriya women. This is the arrogance of the power. The BJP will be thrown out of the power by women this time.
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The Congress’ performance in the 2022 Assembly election was the worst ever in the history of Gujarat. Do you think your party has emerged from that debacle stronger and can fight the BJP’s mighty machinery?
The reason behind the 2022 defeat was the division of votes between Congress and AAP. This time, both these parties are together. We do have the support of many smaller like-minded groups too. So, 2024 will be different.
This is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home State. He has given the catchy slogan ab ki baar, 400 paar (alluding to the target of winning 400 seats). Does your alliance have the capacity to overcome Modi’s power of persuation?
The BJP itself has realised that it cannot cross 400 seats. They are not even talking about it.
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We have seen that some of your MLAs and prominent leaders have joined the BJP in the past month. This shows that even Congress leaders don’t have faith in the party’s future. How would voters see this?
The BJP has realised that it will be unable to win this time. That’s why people and parties that would be the voice of the opposition are being poached or broken into factions. But this time, the battle is between people and the BJP. The people will vote for the party that stands against the BJP.
The developments in Surat are concerning. Your party’s candidate, Nilesh Kumbhani’s nomination was rejected. The BJP has been elected unopposed in Surat. Don’t you think this also exposes the lack of confidence and coordination within the Congress to the public?
The misuse of machinery is the Gujarat model. Now the entire country is witnessing it. People in Gujarat and outside are furious over what happened in Surat. The complete disrespect of free and fair elections, to democracy, is the character of the BJP. The Congress party has been saying that 2024 is a battle to save democracy. Who exactly is threatening the democracy could be seen in Surat.
