Polls not about personal ambition, Congress is united, says Sachin Pilot | Latest news India

Congress leader and former deputy chief minister of Rajasthan, Sachin Pilot, speaks to Chetan Chauhan about his party’s chances in the national elections, the Congress campaign and his rivalry with former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot, among other things. Edited excerpts

You’ve traveled to different states. What is your feeling from the ground?In 2014, the people voted for the BJP with great hope. In 2019, they voted again and felt the fulfillment of their hopes. The BJP promised two million jobs and I could see palpable anger among the youth over the lack of jobs. A large proportion of people feel left behind in the growth story. Farmers feel that the government has not done enough for them. The gap between rich and poor has widened and inequality has increased – people can see it for themselves. High inflation is squeezing the poor and middle class like never before. The BJP has realized that it has failed on these issues and is therefore raising emotional issues of religion – temple versus mosque – and hatred to overcome the strong anti-incumbency.

Much of their campaign is based on the fact that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has built India’s image globally, far beyond what Congress could do. How do you counter this?I don’t think the BJP has changed India’s foreign policy, which has remained one-sided for decades. The ruling party is using foreign policy to beat its chest and it shows that the BJP has no work to show for it on the ground. This kind of chest-thumping doesn’t work in the ground. Our democracy is vibrant and big, and people wonder what their local MPs have done for them over the past decade.

The first phase of the elections has arrived. Some say the congressional campaign hasn’t really picked up. I have traveled to Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Chhattisgarh and Kerala, apart from Rajasthan, and have seen a lot of enthusiasm among the Congress workers. Yes, I agree, my party is facing a shortage of resources due to the freezing of our accounts, and we cannot match the ruling party with money received through electoral bonds. But this cannot stifle the voices of our workers. Congress workers are active in all corners of the country.

Congress is contesting the smallest number of seats ever. What is your opinion on that?This shows that we are fully committed to the dharma of the coalition. In an alliance there is a lot of give and take. The fact remains that Congress intended to form a national alliance of like-minded parties and showed great heart to accommodate the allies. And this accommodative nature is the strength of the INDIA bloc to defeat the BJP this time and save the democratic values ​​and ethos of the Indian Constitution.

The BJP is confident of winning over 400 Lok Sabha seats as the opposition appears weak. What do you have to say?The BJP is trying to create a lie to push back on its anti-incumbency. The BJP knows well that there is strong resentment against their MPs on the ground. The reality is different and I am sure that the INDIA bloc will form the government on June 4.

The Congress has failed to win a single seat in Rajasthan in the last two elections. What is your prediction this time?I see a change in the voters’ approach this time. Unlike 2014 and 2019 when people voted for Modi, this time people are asking MPs what they have done for them. People have not been able to see any tangible work done in the double-engine BJP government in the last four months. In the last elections we lost some seats by very small margins. I am sure that we will improve our performance compared to the previous two elections in Rajasthan.

Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot called you ‘nikamma’ and ‘nikara’, you have a history of rivalry with him. People say Congress is still divided in Rajasthan. Will you campaign for Ashok Gehlot’s son Vaibhav?I don’t want to talk about what he (Ashok ji) said about me. I have refrained from using derogatory language. Rahul Gandhi ji and (Mallikarjun) Kharge ji asked me to forget and forgive and move on. I have done that. These elections are not about an individual or any personal ambition, but about the country. We are united in fighting the elections. I was party president of Rajasthan when we gave Vaibhav Gehlot a ticket for the match from Jodhpur last time, but unfortunately I couldn’t win. I’m sure he will beat Jalore this time. I have campaigned for party candidates in different parts of the country as directed by the high command. Where ever a candidate has asked me to campaign, I have gone there.

The BJP convincingly won the December parliamentary elections in Rajasthan. Will this enable the country to fare so well in these parliamentary elections? To me, the BJP government has not delivered at all in the state. No new policy initiatives have been taken and progressive plans introduced by the Congress government are being scrapped. There is no impact of the BJP-led state government on the voters. There are several centers of power in the BJP government. People are regretting voting for the new BJP government in Rajasthan.

You are in charge of Chhattisgarh, where Congress has never won more than two of the eleven Lok Sabha seats. What is your verdict this time?I can tell you with conviction that we will do better than the BJP in Chhattisgarh. And the reason for this is the inability of the incumbent state government (which came to power in December) to deliver on its promises, allegations of corruption and poor governance. We see a double engine failure in Chhattisgarh. Our strategy in Chhattisgarh is to outperform the BJP.