Jayant Chaudhary: I cannot stand with a divisive force ... BJP is untouchable now

New Delhi: When Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) leader Jayant Chaudhary won the 2009 Lok Sabha elections in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, only a few noticed.

When the Narendra Modi wave left him without a seat in 2014, he was shoved aside.

But the victory of RLD candidate Tabassum Hasan in the recently held Kairana Lok Sabha by-elections has catapulted Chaudhary’s career to a new high.

Even though Hasan was supported by a united anti-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) opposition, Chaudhary has been credited with campaigning tirelessly and single-handedly strategising and defeating the BJP in its own bastion — and bringing his party back into reckoning ahead of 2019 polls.

While acknowledging the support of other parties, Chaudhary maintained, “It was also a positive vote for us. There was a desire in the farming community to revive the RLD and give us strength. Besides, there is disillusionment with the central government and (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi, which worked for us.”

The 40-year-old national vice-president of RLD and the third-generation politician is the grandson of Chaudhary Charan Singh (former Prime Minister for under six months) and son of Ajit Singh (former Minister of Civil Aviation in the United Progressive Alliance government).

He speaks to Gulf News in an exclusive interview.

With victory behind you, how are you preparing for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections?

From the way we pitched our campaign and succeeded, we have learnt that it is issues that have to be central to our campaign. The BJP is going to talk about personalities and religious identity. The only way we can counter it is by talking about economics and real issues. We have crafted a strategy and our party cadre across UP has given a notice to the state administration. We are going to do an agitation against the electricity tariff from July 13-August 12. At the rural household level, the government has hiked the tariff by 250 per cent. It will take away the entire capacity of people to sustain themselves. I have been visiting around 40 districts and conducting meetings, demanding the state withdraws the increased tariff.

Any plans to expand the party beyond western UP?

I am going to the eastern and central parts of UP because it is a statewide issue. But for the Lok Sabha elections, our focus will be areas where we have been strong traditionally.

Your father has had no reservations of siding with or supporting any political party : whether it was Congress, Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party and BJP. What is your political stand?

Politics is the art of making space for oneself and my father has been successful in that sense. Wherever he had a share in the government, he introduced policies for his people. So, one has to play the game and survive. But, ideologically speaking, we have never compromised. And as I see today, the level of BJP’s campaign, how pervasive they have become, how it has become OK for the mob to take law into their hands and the immunity to hate speech : all this has made one thing clear to me. I cannot stand with any divisive force : politically or socially. BJP is untouchable now.

So, is it going to be BJP versus the opposition parties?

Right now they are running a coalition government, but don’t know why they keep forgetting their coalition partners. The last four years’ experience has shown us that one man cannot run the government and one man is not running the government.

Will the coming together of opposition parties mean : one leader, one agenda?

It should lead to one agenda. But there will be diverse and capable leadership and a leadership willing to work with others and willing to listen and respect the rainbow social coalition that makes up the real India. We are not one nation, one ideology.

And what would be the agenda?

To reject communalism and to revive the economy, which is one of the principle challenges. Economy has stagnated in the last four years. So, we will have to come up with promises and policies on how to revive it.

Congress being a pan-India party, do you think it will be the pivot of the opposition alliance to take on the BJP?

It can definitely be the fulcrum. Being the largest opposition party, it can surely play a very supportive role and I count on it. But as far as UP is concerned, discussions are not at a mature stage where I can comment on the exact role of the parties and the seats each party will get.

Since the Congress is very clear on its president Rahul Gandhi as PM candidate, would you agree to seat sharing and sacrificing your party’s vote?

I don’t see the opposition coming together and declaring the prime minister candidate pre-elections. But it may happen, as you can’t rule out things in politics. The way I would pitch opposition is : we are talking of issues and not about one man. Elections are not a personality contest, therefore it does not matter who takes on Modi. It is not a leadership tussle at all and not a matter of PM candidate. There are several mature leaders in opposition ranks today. In fact, even coalition partners of BJP are so disgruntled (with them) that come elections or not, they want to switch sides. So, let us see what emerges.

With India having a history of coalitions collapsing, what lessons have you learnt from your grandfather and father vis-a-vis alliance and support from the Congress?

Politics does not work on formulas. And history does not necessarily repeat itself. Times have changed, so there’s no point looking back. Voters’ expectations today are very different from what they were 10 years ago. So, we have to adapt. I really admire what my father has achieved. Even now, he works harder than I can. My grandfather had such a tremendous connect with the masses that even today, just the mention of him across the country, evokes a certain emotional response. For me, that is the biggest challenge and a learning point.

Since the Supreme Court ruled out reservation (beyond 50 per cent) for the Jat community, what is your take on this? Will your party fight for their rights?

It was a flawed decision. The central government failed to live up to the responsibility of protecting what the previous government had granted. That’s why there were massive agitations in Haryana. The government should resolve the issue. Even on violence against Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe people, the BJP put the Supreme Court forward. It’s BJP’s agenda to deny certain sections their rights. As for RLD; it is not a Jat party. We represent diverse interests. Jats constitute a large percentage of our voters and support base, but our ideology is aligned more towards the farmers.