What are the big issues in the elections this year?
In the whole state, voting will take place on the issue of development. People have put their faith on Modi ji, on the BJP, and on Shivraj ji. We ensured that MP was no longer a BIMARU state, developed roads and the electricity situation, in addition to increasing the per capita income. Irrigation is no longer and issue, and the number of people gathered around us looks like we’ve already won.
After a huge gap, you are contesting the Assembly elections. Have things changed for you?
Nothing has changed. I’ve been in touch with my voters; every weekend I would meet them. So this gap doesn’t affect me. Indore has always given me a lot of love.
In your speech, you’ve made a lot of promises for Indore. Can you list some of them?
The children of Indore need quality education. Our health infra is good so now we will have to work for health tourism. We’ve worked hard to develop Indore; today it leads the cities of India in cleanliness. We intend to do the same in education and health.
The elections in MP are centred around PM Modi. There are a lot of leaders and Shivraj Chouhan is not the only face. Does that rustle up things?
In the BJP, we developed policies ahead of an election to chalk out our electoral strategies. As part of those deliberations, this term in no state have we declared a chief ministerial face. We are fighting it on Modiji’s name. That doesn’t change things; it doesn’t mean Shivraj Singh won’t become the chief minister again. Anyone can become the CM. That is not an issue for us.
In the Congress, there are reports of a rift between its leadership — Kamal Nath and Digvijaya Singh. Does that change things for the BJP?
The bigger question is who is a leader in the Congress. Digvijaya ji is a real leader within the party but Kamal Nath does not consider him a leader. He’s no leader, he’s a manager and he yields power now. Unfortunately, the dilemma within the Congress is that it is somehow continuing. After the polls, they will be left disheartened.
In his interview to us, Kamal Nath has said that religion for him is not a matter of politics and that he won’t take a certificate of being Hindu from the BJP. How do you respond to that?
Kamal Nath ji doesn’t have any right to take the name of Ram ji. His party filed a halafnama in the Supreme Court declaring that Ram does not exist. They said these are imaginary stories. Now they’re saying, “Ram ji, Ram ji.” When the end is near, a man always remembers Ram ji.
The Congress and INDIA Alliance are focused on a caste census. The BJP, too, held deliberations on the matter. Do you think MP needs a caste census?
Congress is attuned to Colonial ideas and policies. These policies divide people and what the country needs is unity. If you want to create a caste, include all the people in it. Dividing people on the lines of caste is Congress’s dirty politics.