If voted to power in Delhi, the BJP will not stop any of the subsidies, but provide five times the benefit, says state party chief Manoj Tiwari. In an exclusive interview with THE WEEK, Tiwari, who is the MP from Northeast Delhi, expressed confidence that his party would win more than 46 of the 70 seats in the Delhi assembly. He says that the party will focus on local issues in this election, but counts the Citizenship (Amendment) Act as an important issue. Excerpts:
How do you see the BJP’s prospects in the assembly elections?
We are confident that we will form the next government with 46-plus seats. I have a very strong basis for saying this. The AAP, which had won 67 out of 70 seats in 2015, could not manage even 67 out of 272 seats in the municipal elections in 2017. The people were tired of the government’s rant that Modi ji is not letting them work. The AAP vote share fell to 26 per cent [in the local body polls] from 54 per cent in 2015. In 2019, the AAP was further reduced to 18 per cent [in the Lok Sabha polls], and we reached 56 per cent. In the 2019 elections, we were ahead in 65 assembly segments. But I am saying we will win 46-plus seats since there is always some change in the way people approach assembly polls.
How does the BJP look at the AAP government’s subsidies. Will you continue with them if you come to power?
We will not stop any subsidy. We will only provide more. Whatever benefit the people have received in the last five years through subsidies, in terms of savings made, we will provide five times more than that in the next five years. I talk about giving five times more benefit, and Arvind Kejriwal twists it to say that we are talking about five times more subsidy.
Will the BJP focus more on national issues or on local issues?
For us, local issues are most important. We will give people much more than what they are getting in terms of public amenities. We will expose the failures of AAP. The Delhi Jal Board has incurred a loss of Rs800 crore. The roads are in a bad shape. The water supplied to homes is dirty. We will come out with a vision document for Delhi and move ahead on the basis of it.
Will the BJP have a chief ministerial candidate in this election?
I cannot comment on that. It is a decision of the BJP’s parliamentary board that the election will be fought under Manoj Tiwari as state BJP chief, and under the leadership of Narendra Modi.
Are you unable to declare a chief ministerial candidate because of infighting?
As state BJP chief, I have not seen much infighting. I can see ambition, which is not a bad thing. The AAP lost so many of their founding members. Their infighting is evident in the exit of these people. We have a democratic set up, where people have the freedom to voice their views. In the last three years, we have won every election because of the support of my colleagues.
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You have sent a Rs500-crore defamation notice to the AAP.
They are falling back on my videos for their ads. They are using the branding of Manoj Tiwari for their publicity. Although it gives me satisfaction to know that AAP is admitting that they do not have a face to go with their campaign song, how can the AAP, without my permission, use my videos? The minimum cost of the brand is Rs500 crore.
How important an issue will CAA be in this election?
CAA is a big achievement of the BJP government. We have wiped the tears of minorities who have come from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, and we are proud of it. But the students of Jamia and the students of JNU have been misled by the Congress and the AAP, and were thrown into the vortex of violence. They will have to pay for that in this election.
So it will be a big issue for you in this election.
No doubt, it is a very big issue. We have to expose the people who are showing a positive step in negative light. The Congress called a meeting of opposition parties on CAA. So many parties did not turn up. They have all realised the truth.
The BJP did not perform as per expectation in the state polls following the Lok Sabha elections.
We are in sync with the problems of the people of Delhi. And that is the reason why they will definitely elect a BJP government.