Ahead of the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, which will begin on February 10, Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) president Jayant Chaudhary told CNN-News18 in an exclusive interview that his party rules out any post-poll alliance with the BJP after home minister Amit Shah reached out to Jat leaders from west UP, and said it was an “election tactic”.
“The fact is that the Jat community is largely agrarian, they are farmers and they are emotionally attached with the nationwide farmers’ movement,” Chaudhary told CNN-News18.
He denied reports, which suggest that RLD candidates were receiving support but those from the Samajwadi Party, fighting on the RLD’s symbol, would not be able to transfer votes.
Exuding confidence over this year’s Uttar Pradesh elections, where RLD and SP have aligned together, Chaudhary said they will win a “majority”.
Here is the interview:
You immediately tweeted after the statement of Amit Shah saying that the invitation should be sent to the families of those 700 farmers whose homes they have destroyed and not you. Should it be believed now that there is no way out because the invitation has come just before the first phase of elections?
What will be the way? This is their election tactic. He is the home minister of everybody, but before every election it is said he has called a special meeting with Jat leaders. This looks very strange that a nationalist party is calling a meeting on the caste basis and is trying to woo them. The fact is that the Jat community is largely agrarian, they are farmers and they are emotionally attached with the nationwide farmers’ movement. The way the farmers protest happened, the way they tried to suppress it, those who attended the meeting yesterday, why were they silent during that time? Today, they are trying to show their sympathy towards me only with an intention of channelising the votes that are going out of their hands. Why are they silent?
We have heard this narrative that the Jat community is upset with the BJP before almost every election. We heard this in 2017 and 2019, and the percentage of Jat voters who voted for the BJP in 2019 increased from that of 2014. I want to say if the home minister is reaching out like this and perhaps he must have talked to you in the last few months because you are a right person on the wrong side. So what should be believed?
First of all, the assumption that the vote percentage has increased cannot be determined. I don’t know on what basis such assumptions are made that in 2019 they got more votes than in 2014. Voting details never come out, these are some companies that carry out such surveys. These companies always keep their points of view. So, I must reject this survey.
Secondly, if you look at the feelings on the ground, we have struggled constantly; the momentum has not been created overnight. There were several factors in their favour when they came to power in 2017. Today, not only the Jat community is upset with them, but youth, women and farmers who come from all castes are upset with them. Even if you look at it beyond the caste divide, you will see that the condition of the BJP is not good. They are just trying to mend that. More than that, they don’t have any attachment with us.
But politics is a game of possibilities. We have seen people making post-poll alliances. There are several examples. And Chaudhary Sahab, your father, was the agriculture minister in the Vajpayee’s cabinet. So, it is not that the equations have never been made before.
No, for now, we have not held any talks. A debate, a confusion is always created about us through the media that we can go here and there. I have been moving on this path for several years, and I don’t have any intention of changing my ways.
So, you are completely ruling out this possibility that you can come together with the BJP in a post-poll scenario?
I tweeted yesterday. First of all, justice should be done to the families of those farmers. Then, they should complete the promise that they made to farmer organisations. And the third thing, which is almost impossible for them, which is to renounce the politics of communal hatred. If these conditions are met, only then can someone like me who wants good for the nation can even think of it.
That means you are offering some conditions.
This is impossible for them to do. So, that rules out any possibility.
How sure are you of this constituency, which you represent, that is the Jat community? The fact is that a sentiment is being formed after the repealing of farm laws that the anger is abating and the data that you are rejecting shows that this community has been with PM Modi since 2014.
I am not denying that the PM got a huge mandate and youth came forward to vote for him. But saying that, the Jat community is attached to him more than any other community, then it is wrong. The way the farmer protest happened in Haryana, the way the government had a rude behaviour towards them, the way the BJP chief minister and home minister ran a campaign to isolate the Jat community, they singled out them and said a non-Jat will become the CM, the community has not forgotten them. And I must clear this that I don’t do politics of one caste, one community and I don’t believe in this. But I am asked such questions in interviews so am forced to respond.
There are several ground reports, which suggest that your RLD candidates are receiving support but those of the Samajwadi Party, who are fighting on RLD’s symbol, will not be able to transfer votes.
Only the BJP and its supporters are saying so. There is no such thing. Tell me one thing, if someone is fighting on the party’s symbol, then doesn’t he become a part of it? I will give you an example. Chandan Chauhan is fighting on our party’s symbol, he was in SP, before that, he was the president of RLD’s youth wing in western Uttar Pradesh, his father Sanjay Chauhan has been an MP with me from RLD. He was representing Bijnor in Lok Sabha. Saying that he is from SP, today they are a part of alliance, which has given them the seat. We are fighting on 400 seats as one.
Another accusation is that the western UP where the Muslim population is dominant, a consolidation is also visible during elections. RLD has overlooked Muslims while distributing tickets. For example, Muzaffarnagar, out of five seats, not one has been given to Muslims due to which they can look towards AIMIM and BSP.
Muzaffarnagar and Shamli districts used to be one. Shamli is the newly formed district. Out of three seats of Shamli, two Muslim candidates are fighting. Out of seven seats in Meerut, four are Muslims. Therefore, it is not that we are not giving them the representation. We have decided the candidates on the basis of different equations and winnability.
My last question will be the same with which I started this interview. Is there any chance of coming together in future or the door has already been closed?
There is no basis on which we can even talk. Look at my background, I was the first one to enter into the farmer protests. We served them, our workers took part in it. Whenever an offensive behaviour was taken by the government, we were the first one to reach out like in Lakhimpur and Hathras. We have faced lathis of this government. Now, what will we get that we will change sides for? It is not possible. That is why I said don’t invite me, think of those farmers.
Jayant Chaudhary, you are ruling out any possibility of the post-poll alliance. Before I go, what is your number for March 10 of your alliance?
Winning number. A majority. We will have a majority in 403 seats.
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