Interview/ B.Y. Vijayendra, Karnataka BJP president
THE BJP PUT up its best show ever in Karnataka in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, winning 25 of 28 seats in the state. A good harvest again is essential for the party to achieve its target of 400 plus seats this time and to preserve its hopes of making inroads in south India intact.
It is also the state party president B.Y. Vijayendra's first big test. He travelled the length and breadth of the state in the past four months to make the cadres battle-ready. But a bigger challenge seems to be the resentment among those denied the tickets.
Vijayendra, 48, is the younger of the two sons of former chief minister and Lingayat strongman B.S. Yediyurappa. He has been battling hostility within the party ever since his elevation to the top post, but the ticket distribution triggered an open revolt. In an exclusive interview with THE WEEK, he talks about the challenges within the party, the impact of the Congress’s guarantees and Modi’s guarantees and his party's strategies. Excerpts:
Q/ The BJP leadership took six months after losing the assembly elections to appoint you as state president. Why?
A/ After the major setback in the assembly polls, where the BJP was reduced to 66 seats and the Congress won 135, the party leadership was in introspection, and trying to pin down the reasons for the debacle. It was also the time when the party was scouting for the next party president considering the ground realities in the state.
Q/ Did you get the post because you are Yediyurappa's son?
A/ I was appointed the state president by the national BJP leaders after deliberations for almost six months. In fact, the national president has put on record that I earned the leadership role through my capabilities and for having dedicated considerable time to the party and organisation. [BJP national president] J.P. Naddaji in his letter has stated that I have proven to be an asset to the BJP. I was not given this post as a consolation after Yediyurappa stepped down. I have toiled for the party for the past 15 years in different capacities.
Q/ How many seats will the BJP-Janata Dal (Secular) alliance get?
A/ We are confident of winning all 28 seats.
Q/ The Congress won the assembly polls with a huge majority. What makes the BJP so confident of winning all 28 now?
A/ I believe we will overcome the shortcomings we had during the assembly polls and people are also smart enough to understand the importance of the Lok Sabha polls and the need for Modi’s leadership for India’s growth.
The Congress talks only about guarantees and not development. No MLA has got a single penny as development fund and all development works have come to a standstill. [Chief Minister] Siddaramaiah, too, has openly admitted that there is no money for development. The guarantee schemes have eaten into all other schemes. Can you imagine a popular government being unable to announce any new schemes in the budget for want of funds? Also, these guarantees now have riders or conditions to exclude the potential beneficiaries for curbing huge expenditure.
Q/ The BJP is also seeking votes on guarantee schemes. How are Modi’s guarantees different from Siddaramaiah’s?
A/ There is a huge difference. The chief minister is talking about freebies but the prime minister is talking of guarantees that empower people. In the past 10 years, the Modi government has focused on infrastructure development in a big way, be it highways, railways or metro trains. Such development is benefiting all. Our PM speaks of building a Viksit Bharat (developed India) by 2047.
Q/ The JD(S)'s past alliances with the BJP and the Congress were not pleasant ones. Was an alliance this time inevitable for the BJP?
A/ The JD(S) and the BJP are natural allies unlike the JD(S) and the Congress. It is easier to bring the JD(S) and BJP party workers together, especially for the Lok Sabha polls. Deve Gowdaji has extended support to the NDA acknowledging Modi’s good leadership and for the future of the country. The alliance will be beneficial to both parties. This partnership will help consolidate votes and restrain the Congress.
Q/ The selection of candidates has led to resentment among the leaders. Will this be a spoiler for the party?
A/ The BJP is a national party and a winning party. So, it will have many ticket aspirants and the resentment among those who were denied tickets is natural. We, as a party, are capable of resolving these issues. However, I feel no BJP leader or party worker would betray the party. We are in the battlefield and I see no reason why our leaders would choose to fight among themselves, instead of fighting the opponent. Our common goal is to ensure that Modiji becomes the prime minister a third time.
Q/ Siddaramaiah says Modi and Amit Shah have no moral right to seek votes in Karnataka as they have not released a single penny for drought relief.
Nine states are reeling under drought but no chief minister is blaming the prime minister or the Central government. Siddaramaiah should provide relief to the aggrieved farmers from the state coffers without shifting the blame on the Centre. The Centre will follow the norms before releasing funds.