With the three phases of Lok Sabha Election over and the fourth one to take place in less than 24 hours, Union minister Piyush Goyal, who has handled several portfolios such as commerce and industry, railways, finance, consumer affairs, food and public distribution, and is set to contest the polls from Mumbai North seat, in an exclusive interview to Network18 Group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi, exuded confidence that the BJP government will “definitely cross 400” seats this time.
When asked whether the BJP’s campaign of ‘Ab Ki Baar 400 Paar’ still holds strong or whether it is coming off track, Goyal said one can gauge from the people’s reaction on the ground and how they respond to the issues. “Political leaders gauge from the reaction of the audience what response you are receiving. What the response is during the speech, what the response is on an issue,” he said.
He pointed out the “weak” opposition’s “distasteful” and “controversial” statements to divert issues, and the internal conflicts within the INDIA vis à vis the CPM and Congress in Kerala have exposed the Congress, Trinamool Congress (TMC) and others. “They are friends in West Bengal, but the TMC and Congress are fighting,” he said.
“They have no leader, no leadership, no policy, no intent for the country. How will they work with amity and sensitivity? How will they work with amity and sensitivity? In such a situation, the 10-year tenure of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his 50 years of impeccable public life inspire people and assure them that it is only him who can take this country to the world stage,” he added.
When asked about BJP’s chances in Kerala and Tamil Nadu this time, Goyal said not only will the party open an account in Kerala but it will surprise everyone in terms of seats and vote share. “There are two or three seats, in which we are very strongly in the race, and we will definitely win one, I think,” he added.
The two sure seats are Thiruvananthapuram and Thrissur. The party has identified Attingal, Palakkad, Pathanamthitta as constituencies where chances of win are high.
He further said the situation in Tamil Nadu is almost the same as Kerala’s. “We will definitely win two, and in four or five we are in a strong position,” Goyal said.
Tamil Nadu has 39 Lok Sabha seats, and the BJP, led by K Annamalai, aims for a double-digit vote and seat share in the state. The saffron party is contesting 23 seats and has allied with several other regional parties.
The NDA alliance in Tamil Nadu has Pattali Makkal Katchi contesting 10 seats, while Tamil Maanila Congress (Moopanar) has been allotted three constituencies. Former chief minister O Panneerselvam is part of the NDA but he’s contesting as an Independent, while Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam, led by TTV Dhinakaran, has been given two seats. Indhiya Jananayaga Katchi, Puthiya Needhi Katchi, and Tamizhaga Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam will contest one seat each in the BJP symbol.
Stressing on all five southern states, including Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, which together have almost 130 Lok Sabha constituencies, Goyal said, “If we look at the whole south, at one point we had an almost negligible presence in three or four states. And today we are the only party, which has a presence in every state. As soon as we open our account in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and we will get good results in Andhra Pradesh, this time, as you must have also gauged from the response in Vijayawada, which was stunning.
“In Telangana, the way the situation is developing, we are far ahead of the opposition, and even the ruling party. And in Karnataka, we have largely been able to maintain our position”.
Andhra Pradesh has 42 Lok Sabha seats while Karnataka has 28.
When asked about party’s chances in Karnataka, Goyal said there will be a huge difference this time. “This is a national election. People have in mind that the leader of the country is being elected, the government of the country. And everyone believes that those dark days of the UPA, replete with corruption; whatever the prime minister does, a ‘yuvraj’ would pick it up and tear it apart in a press conference. Every day, every week, a new case of corruption is revealed. The prime minister is so helpless that he says ‘what can I do, these are compulsions of coalition politics’. People do not want this kind of a government in any part of the country.
“So, in the south, as Amit Shah ji said, I had also not fully thought about it, but when I did the math I realised that no other party even comes close to the number of seats we have in all these states combined – Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu”.
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