In battleground UP, all key players have started to take pole positions. While Akhilesh Yadav is still struggling to hold onto his party leadership and BJP continues to vacillate on the question of promoting a CM candidate, BSP supremo Mayawati is beginning to assert herself as well. Speaking to CNN-News18's Executive Editor Bhupendra Chaubey, Mayawati gave a clear picture of where she really stands.
Excerpts:
How do you look at the current political scenario in UP?
We are getting a good response. People of UP want change. They are looking towards us. Truth is that I had predicted this in a press conference I did on March 7, 2012, that people of UP will regret not having voted for me. Look at what’s happening now. People of UP were misled into believing that they will get unemployment allowance, laptops etc. They had realised their mistake in 2012 itself.
What do you think has gone wrong with Akhilesh Yadav’s politics?
Akhilesh had said that he will follow in his father’s footsteps. He has actually done that. He has brought in more criminals within the party. All people who are supposedly a part of his youth team are all criminals. Lawlessness is on the rise in UP. In fact people of UP have seen how his “young blood” has created mayhem on the streets of UP. All the goons who were with Mulayam Singh Yadav are now with Akhilesh.
Do you think Akhilesh split the party in the context of the ongoing feud?
No, I don’t think it matters anymore. The point is that if Akhilesh was to form a new party, then their base vote will split into two. Anyways his uncles won’t let him work. I am therefore confident of winning this election as Muslims of UP will leave the SP once they are convinced that it is a sinking ship.
What do you think of any Congress-SP alliance?
I don’t think there is any future for this. If two dead parties come together, then what do they achieve? If the SP was such a great performing party, then they wouldn’t have spent the kind of money they are spending on government ads. The very fact that they are eyeing an alliance shows that they have given up on the game. People of UP made a mistake once, they were cheated by SP once. It won’t happen all the time
You don’t think there is any substance in Akhiesh’s claims that he has done so much for the state of UP?
Where has he done? What has he done? All works that he appropriates are things that have been done by me. Lucknow Metro was initiated by me, I inaugurated Jan Kalyan parks which he now claims has been done by him. From pensions for widows to development of Lucknow, it was my work which is today being claimed by him as his.
What do you think BJP will do in these polls? Will they project a face as CM candidate?
Projecting a face is a secondary thing. At this point of time they are struggling with ticket seekers only. All these crowds that you see aren’t crowds of their workers. These are ticket seekers in BJP who have all been mandated to bring people on board.
What about the surgical strikes in Pakistan by the Narendra Modi government? Will it have any impact in UP?
Our borders have become more unsafe. Everyday there is an attack which is happening. There is crossborder firing and people are dying. Where is the impact, you tell me. BJP has a coalition government in Kashmir. But schools are being burnt. So who is safe? If it doesn’t have any impact on the borders itself, how will it have an impact in UP?
Where do you think Muslims of UP will go?
Muslims are looking at the manner in which the SP is collapsing. Congress is dead in UP. So they are bound to look towards me. They have only one option and that is the BSP.
It’s being said that you are overtly wooing the Muslims, you are giving 125-odd tickets to Muslims?
Wait till the official announcement of elections. You will see, I will give tickets to all communities. You must understand that the only reason why BJP got votes in UP in 2014 is that there was a fear that another UPA coalition shouldn’t come to power. We still got 20% vote.
What about the Central government? What role do you think its performance have in UP politics?
The BJP-led Central government has completed two and a half years. People are seeing how they have cheated everyone. Poor people are being cheated, misled. They will seek answers from BJP. Akhilesh’s party is full of gundas and BJP is a party of cheats. People will make up their mind and support me.
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