RLD chief slams BJP for 'polarisation'
New Delhi: Accusing the BJP of indulging in polarisation in the run-up to the Uttar Pradesh polls, RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary on Sunday said the BJP is driving a "one-gear car" that is headed backwards, and asserted that the anti-Muslim rhetoric will not work as people are fed up of such politics.
The 43-year-old leader, whose party has tied up with the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party, also said he will not contest the upcoming polls in Uttar Pradesh and would instead focus on campaigning.
In an interview, Chaudhary said the quitting of leaders from the ruling BJP in Uttar Pradesh to join the SP-RLD alliance ahead of polls shows that they were peaking at the right time and are an "attractive, viable alternative" that wants to represent the grassroots.
The Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief also expressed confidence that Opposition votes would not get divided, asserting that it was a direct fight between the SP-RLD alliance and the BJP.
"Not only will the Opposition votes not get divided, there is a great confidence with which I can say that many people who voted for the BJP last time are in fact going to shift to our alliance with the SP. That is because the core issues of governance, leadership, and development have not been addressed over five years by the incumbent government," Chaudhary said.
Asked about the ministers, MLAs and leaders quitting the BJP to join the SP and RLD, he said the ticket-seekers, sitting MLAs and people of political prominence joining the alliance was a sort of an indicator of the groundswell of support.
The leaders quitting the BJP to join the SP-RLD alliance is indicative of the public sentiment and also shows that while they were in government, they were feeling stifled, Chaudhary said. The BJP used to talk about inner party democracy, how it builds up its organisation and respects its cadres and workers but MLAs in BJP, while in power, were not able to get a lot of work done, he said.
"So, there is a lot of resentment in the BJP ranks which is why now when there is an opportunity to shift they are the first ones to leave," the RLD leader added. Asked about the polarisation in the polls and how he plans to deal with it, Chaudhary said people will see through this as voters are very savvy. "Yes, there were disruptive, traumatic events which have happened in our state in the recent past ... People have realised the folly ... The fact that riots don't help anyone, so I think people want to stay away from all of the hate and the poison," he said.
