Pankaj Singh, son of Home Minister Rajnath Singh, is ready to make his electoral debut from Noida. In an interview with The Sunday Guardian, the 40-year-old general secretary of the BJP in poll bound Uttar Pradesh said he is confident that his party will come to power in India’s most populous state with a thumping majority. He said the BJP’s agenda driven politics will tide over the regional parties which are banking on caste arithmetic. Excerpts.
Q. You have been in politics for 15 years and it is only now that you are contesting an election. What took you so long?
A. I have always worked on the principle that what I want isn’t important, but what the party wants is important. Earlier, the party wanted me to take up the responsibility of the BJP’s Uttar Pradesh unit as the state general secretary and I did that. Now when the party wanted me to contest the election from such a prestigious constituency, I humbly accepted this responsibility.
Q. Your father and Home Minister Rajnath Singh is a very influential political leader. He has played an instrumental role in making the BJP what it is today. Now that you are entering electoral politics with his support, there is high expectation from your supporters and people. Does this put any pressure on you?
A. It is both a big challenge and an opportunity. When you carry the legacy of a respected politician, it is a challenge for you to reach out to the people and seek their support and earn their confidence. They have both hopes and apprehensions and you have to win their trust. It is an opportunity to win people’s confidence and work closely with them and for them.
Q. There have been several controversies over ticket distribution in the BJP. While many party workers were upset with your selection, the opposition has accused the BJP of dynasty politics. Your comment?
A. I don’t think there is any dispute in the party over ticket distribution or my selection. In fact I have received a very warm welcome. Dr Mahesh Sharma has been tirelessly campaigning with me and Vimla Batham has been very generous and supportive. Even Nawab Singh Nagar has been very supportive. I’m humbled by such acceptance both by the party and the people.
Also, the allegations of dynasty politics are totally baseless. Unlike the SP and other parties, BJP is never involved in dynasty politics. We work on issues and problems and likewise we decide suitable persons to perform different tasks.
Q. Dalit and Muslim sentiments are not as favourable towards the BJP as it was during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Moreover, after demonetisation rural sentiments aren’t encouraging either. It is said that this election will have a great impact on the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. How is the BJP preparing for the challenge?
A. In 2014, people voted for change. Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised a different political approach. Be it through Jan Dhan Yojna, Digital India, Swachh Bharat or demonetisation, the party has kept its promise of giving India corruption free governance and we are a nationalist party. People have faith in our PM and in our party. It is only the opposition that is making noise and false claims. These are the people who question surgical strikes or support the anti-India sloganeering in Jawaharlal Nehru University. I have been to villages and met people and the response has been overwhelming. I am very confident that the BJP will win over 300 seats and form government in Uttar Pradesh. We have no competition as the Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party and the Congress are fighting the last battle of their identities.
Q. In case the BJP forms the next government in Uttar Pradesh, (a) what would be your role in the government and (b) how different is your party’s manifesto from that of your counterparts?
A. For most of my political career I have worked as a simple party worker. I would always like to sincerely work for the party in whatever role they decide for me. I was a worker then and will always remain so.
I can’t comment on what will be the exact manifesto of the party as it is not released yet. However, I can assure you that the BJP’s manifesto is never made to milk votes. We make realistic, issue based manifestos. After forming the government the party will critically analyse the situation in key thematic areas like security, corruption, youth engagement and cleanliness, and accordingly develop a comprehensive action plan to solve people’s problems.