Former Tripura CM and BJP leader Biplab Deb.
Credit: PTI Photo
The BJP has asked some of its former chief ministers to take an electoral plunge in the Lok Sabha polls. The party has fielded Biplab Kumar Deb, a Rajya Sabha member and former Tripura chief minister, from West Tripura. As in charge of the BJP in Haryana, Deb was closely involved in the recent political shake-up in the state and the subsequent leadership change. In this interview with DH’s Sumit Pande, Deb claims Congress in Haryana is a divided house and will not be able to match up to the BJP in the Assembly polls slated to be held just after the Lok Sabha elections.
You have decided to break ties with Dushyant Chautala’s Jananayak Janata Party (JJP). Will it not affect the BJP’s prospects in the Lok Sabha polls?
We are very clear about Haryana. In 2019, we won all the 10 Lok Sabha seats in the state. And once again, you will see the BJP repeat that performance. The last election victory came without any pre-poll alliance with any party.
Congress alleges that the JJP breakup is a fixed match and has been done to divide the Opposition votes.
Congress is a divided house in Haryana. Former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda considers areas around Rohtak his territory. In Ambala, Kumari Shelja is holding her fort. Then party general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala has his faction, while Kiran Choudhry is flexing her muscles. Under the circumstances, Congress does not stand any chance against the BJP.
Like many other former CMs, you also have been asked by the BJP to contest Lok Sabha polls even though your RS term ends in 2028.
It is up to the party to decide the responsibilities they want to bestow upon me. Whatever the party wants me to do, I will follow the party's orders. And my responsibility is not just confined to winning my constituency by a huge margin. I will work to ensure that the BJP wins the Tripura East with equally convincing numbers.
The Union Home Ministry has just announced a peace accord with TIPRA Motha. It comes just before the LS polls. Will it have any political bearing?
The tripartite accord between the Union Home Ministry, the state government, and TIPRA Motha is a historic occasion for the people of the state. It is the first time that the issues and concerns of the tribal population have been heard, and there is a sincere effort to address those issues, especially regarding culture, history, land, and political rights.
In the past, you have campaigned in West Bengal as well. It is one state where the BJP will have to fight hard to defend its territory against Mamata Banerjee after registering its best-ever performance in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
We will improve our tally in West Bengal. The state government faces a huge anti-incumbency, and the recent protests in Sandeshkhali are a testament to the fast-changing political landscape in the state.
BJP has already peaked in the states where it is considered strong. So where will the party get the additional numbers to meet the 370-seat target set by the PM?
BJP will surprise everyone. Not just in terms of the vote share that the party will get, but the conversion of votes into seats will be spread across the country. We have laid special emphasis on states and seats where the party has not done well in the past. In states along the Coromandel Coast and the south in particular, we will pick up seats. Also, we have got our alliances in place and this will only add to the party’s tally in states where we are considered relatively weak.