Even Modi can't stop BJP's exit in Rajasthan: Sachin Pilot

State Congress chief Sachin Pilot attributes the grand old party’s revival in the desert state to the misrule of the Vasundhara Raje-led BJP government and his party’s ability to take up issues close to people’s heart.

The Congress’ resounding win in bypolls in two Lok Sabha and one Assembly seat in Rajasthan has added to the stature of PCC chief Sachin Pilot. He has got the party back on its feet after the crushing defeat in the 2013 Assembly elections by wresting six Assembly and two Lok Sabha seats from the BJP and winning panchayat and municipal byelections. Mr Pilot attributes his party’s revival to the misrule and misdeeds of the Vasundhara Raje government and his party’s ability to take up issues close to people’s heart. In a candid chat with Sanjay Bohra, he claims that the recent bypoll results have shown that the BJP is not invincible and is on its way out in Rajasthan, a fact that even Prime Minister Narendra Modi cannot stop. Excerpts from the interview:

You were quite confident of winning all three seats on which byelections were held last month. What made you so confident?
Election is not a two-week-long race. One has to be on the ground for months or perhaps years together. We were able to convince the voters that the Congress is standing by them. I travelled extensively in these three districts and the feedback I received was that not only were people unhappy with the BJP government and Vasundharaji’s working but that they appreciated the Congress stand on issues like farm crisis, farmers’ suicides and issues of youths and unemployment.

Were you expecting such a huge victory margin?
The three bypolls involved 17 Assembly seats with 40 lakh voters. We won a majority in every single seat. More importantly, in urban centres like Alwar city and Ajmer city, which the BJP claims to be its stronghold, we won by a record margin. So it’s the reaffirmation of the fact that people have faith in the Congress which enjoys the support of all communities. It also shows that the BJP is now on its way out.

What are the ramifications of the bypoll results?
I think this is a vote against the BJP. Byelections have given a sense of confidence not just to the Congress but all Opposition parties that the BJP can be defeated despite claims of being powerful in booth management. I think, the byelection result will have far-reaching positive impact not just in the Karnataka elections but also at the national level. Anti-BJP forces will be able to align themselves. Most importantly, the acceptance of Rahulji’s leadership is one of the biggest takeaways from these byelections.

Was it just anti-incumbency or were there other factors, like farm distress, behind BJP’s defeat?
 It was a combination of factors. There was the farm and agrarian crisis, farmers were committing suicide yet there was complete lack of empathy from the government. Iss Sarkar main unke aansoo ponchne ke liye bhi koi tayyar nahi tha (There was no one in the government to hear them out). They promised 15 lakh jobs but didn’t deliver. On top of that, there was law and order issue, particularly atrocities against dalits, a number of rapes, corruption and the gag order that Vasundharaji brought. I think these were all signs that this is a government steeped in arrogance and cut off from the reality. On the other hand, the Congress campaign was low key and involved four years of sustained hard work.

Caste combination is also said to have played a big role in your victory. Especially the way your party tried to win over Rajputs. In fact, you criticise the Vasundharaji for playing caste politics but your party candidate from Ajmer, Raghu Sharma, went to Rajput Sabha Bhawan where the Rajput organisations declared support for the Congress.

That allegation doesn’t hold water because all communities voted for the Congress. On the other hand, look at the caste politics of Vasundharaji. They gave ticket to Late Sanwar Lalji’s son to cash in on the sympathy vote and also because he belongs to a particularly community. The Congress did no such thing. Raghu Sharmaji, an ex-MLA, was given the ticket for Ajmer bypoll and Karan Singhji, an ex-MP and two-time MLA, was fielded in Alwar. Vasundharaji had no choice and because of the Yadav factor a sitting minister in the Cabinet was made the candidate. First they tried to create a religious divide, but when that didn’t work out they tried caste division. But look at the chief minister blatantly announcing daily meeting slots with people who have been categorised on the basis of their castes.

But that doesn’t answer the questio, that Raghu Sharma went to Rajput Sabha Bhawan.
Not only there, he went to every single community and society. He went to every community — whether it is dalits, forwards or backwards. Going and seeking support is one thing… but calling people particularly on caste lines every hour is negative politics.

The Rajput community is traditionally a BJP vote bank, but this time it openly opposed it and declared its support for the Congress. Was it just because of Padmaavat or was there  much deeper angst?
In the last three-four years, Vasundharaji has led a government that has disrespected many communities. The number of dalit atrocities in Rajasthan is the second-highest in the country. In number of cases on dalits, the state is number one in India. Then, in Jaipur, they broke down hundreds of temples and thousands of cows died in government gaushala. Community after community has been let down by this government and the result is that there is a cross section of the society which feels that this government needs to go.

Jats, dalits and Muslims are considered traditional Congress supporters. Now Rajputs are coming out and supporting the Congress. Will this take Jats closer to BJP as both the communities are traditional rivals?
This is all paper calculation. There is  significant population of all the communities in each Lok sabha constituency. There are 19 lakh voters. How can any party think of winning election with support from a community with one lakh or two lakh votes? You need 19 lakh voters to support you. The Congress is a party that has fought for everybody. Look at the data. The farming community supported us that’s why we won in rural areas. The middle class, urban and young voters also supported us.

Don’t you think campaigning by Narendra Modi will make a difference to your chances?
One thing is very clear. Four years of misrule of Vasundharaji cannot be washed away by anybody, including the Prime Minister. The face of the BJP in Rajasthan is Vasundharaji. People will judge her on her performance. People here have made up their mind that this government of Vasundharaji has to go.

But Mr Modi’s campaigning worked in Gujarat?
From 150 seats, that they were claiming to win, they got 99, just eight more than the majority in Gujarat. I don’t think he will make any difference. He campaigned for the BJP during these byelections also.

What about the Congress’ chief ministerial face? Is the Congress going to adopt the Punjab model or Gujarat model of not declaring chief ministerial candidate before the election?
Traditionally the Congress in Rajasthan never declares a chief ministerial candidate. Elected legislators and party leadership in Delhi decide who will lead the government. Frankly, it’s not important for me. We are focusing on winning the elections — that is the job given to me by the Congress and all other leaders in the state are doing the same thing.

But there is a perception that the Congress is divided in camps. Supporters have been running campaigns on social media in favour of their respective leaders as chief ministerial candidate.
The perception is purposely concocted by our friends in the BJP. There is only one faction in the Congress and that is called Rahul Gandhi faction and we are all members of that faction. Rahulji and Soniaji are our leaders. They have given different jobs to different leaders. Alag alag kaam kar rahe hain sab apna (All are focussing on their role). Collectively, the aim is to make sure that we win this election. If there was disunity, would the Congress have done so well in the last four years?  We are winning everywhere. We have defeated BJP right under the CM’s nose in urban areas… This has been possible because people are united.

But Ashok Gehlot had been raising the leadership issue even during the byelection.
There is nothing wrong in what Ashokji says. He says exactly what I say. This is what AICC also says —that let us not talk about anything else and focus on winning the election. Once we win the majority, the elected MLAs and leadership in Delhi will decide who will lead the government.

You talked about having and letting people know about an alternative model of governance than just relying on anti-incumbency for a win in Rajasthan. What is your governance model?
We are working on a blueprint...  We will share it very soon. But largely speaking, we have said that we will not follow first come, first serve in mines’ allocation that the chief minister has done. We will never do such a thing. They have privatised school and hospitals… we want investment to come in but won’t give away government assets to individuals without a transparent MoU. The Congress government will be a true people and farmers’ government.