Haryana PCC president Kumari Selja terms the results of the Assembly elections as a rejection of the Manohar Lal Khattar government by the people of the state. In an interview with THE WEEK, she expressed hope that the Congress would form the government by joining forces with the other opposition parties. Selja said attempts of the BJP to make this election about national issues failed and the local issues dominated in the polls.
Excerpts from the interview:
How do you see the Haryana outcome?
The people of Haryana have given their verdict that they want a non-BJP government. It is clear that they have rejected the Manohar Lal Khattar government, which had nothing to show for what it did in the last five years. They suddenly began raising issues such as Article 370 and NRC, which showed that they did not have anything else to say to the people.
Do you feel that if the change of leadership in the state Congress was made earlier, the party would do even better?
It is true that had we got a little more time to campaign, to decide things, we would have done much better than this. I hope that the Congress will form the government since the mandate is for a non-BJP government.
Will the Congress approach other opposition players such as the JJP to try and form government?
I hope that the non-BJP parties come together. An effort will definitely be made to form government. Also, it is clear that the BJP stands isolated. For the parties in the opposition space, it is an ideological battle, and hence we should come together.
What factors worked in favour of the Congress?
We were raising the issues that relate to the people. The BJP, on the other hand, failed to connect with the issues on the ground, such as the huge unemployment in the state, farm crisis, crimes against women etc. The chief minister was in a denial mode with regard to the report which showed Haryana was the number one state in terms of unemployment. The same report was accepted by PM Modi in Maharashtra with regard to the statistics pertaining to that state. People of the Scheduled Castes and other weaker sections felt neglected. Also, the new Motor Vehicles Act... even when they knew that people were facing problems, they did not make any changes in it.
How do you explain the huge difference between the Lok Sabha elections, when the BJP swept the state, and the Assembly polls?
Local issues dominated in the Vidhan Sabha, as should have been the case. They tried to raise national issues. The prime minister and other senior leaders addressed so many rallies in the state. But, they failed to convince the people of Haryana.
So the bread and butter issues dominated these elections?
Yes. And the economic slowdown is affecting every section of the society. Be it the consumer or the seller, they are all in dire straits.