Our party will register a historic victory in upcoming MP Assembly polls, win all ST seats: Bhupendra Singh
Madhya Pradesh senior Minister Bhupendra Singh who is known as a poll strategist leader in state politics said that Congress is not any challenge for BJP because it has neither mass leadership nor strong organisation, and also lacks public issues to go in the election fray.
Bhupendra Singh, who holds Urban Development and Housing portfolio in the BJP-led state government, is considered a hardcore associate of MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, also said Implementation of the Panchayat Extension of Schedule Areas (PESA) Act and introduction of the ‘Ladli Bahana Yojana’ (LBY) will be the game changer steps for BJP in the upcoming Assembly elections.
In an interview with Millennium Post Chief Correspondent Dr Satyaprakash Sharma in an interview, Bhupendra Singh, who represents the Khurai Assembly constituency in the state Assembly, has also been MP from the Sagar Lok Sabha seat, interacted on many political issues ahead of the Assembly elections due later this year.
Do you think Congress will be a challenge for BJP in the upcoming Assembly polls?
Since 2018, Congress has continuously weakened in the state as well as in the country. It has neither a mass-appealing leader nor a strong organisation with a cadre like BJP in the state. Kamal Nath ji has become 75 years. No positive political issue is seen, on the basis, they can seek a vote from the public. In a one-and-half-month-long government, the party has lost its credibility among the people of the state, they are angry due to its cheating for not fulfilling a single promise made before the elections. Even they shut down the public welfare schemes that had been run by the previous BJP government.
Despite more vote share in the 2018 polls, why BJP won fewer seats? And what efforts are being made by the party to increase both?
A criterion of below 50-year age has been implemented in the organisational set-up from Mandal to the district level to bring forward youth leadership and to reach out to youth voters. ‘Booth strengthening campaign’ has been launched to reinforce the system at the booth level and Panna committees have been formed to reach out to the voters, covering the same single page on the electoral roll. Besides, the BJP-led government has taken several decisions for public welfare like the implementation of the PESA Act -a revolutionary move for the welfare of Schedule Tribes and the introduction of the LBY for empowering women financially and socially. These steps will be proved the game changer to increase vote share as well as seats.
Firstly, around 30-40 seats were affected by Congress’ fake promise of debt waiver for farmers, they had been confused by it, and secondly, incorrect candidate selection on some seats. These two were the major factors behind it.
It is considered that farmers had away from the BJP in the previous elections, what efforts have been made to return them toward the party?
Congress confused the farmers by making a fake commitment to a loan waiver. Due to this, they did not pay off their debt and became defaulters. Keeping it in mind, the government has made a provision to pay off the defaulter farmers’ debt in the recently presented budget. In the total budget of Rs 3.14 Lakh crore, 30 per cent amount have been provisioned for the farms’ development and welfare. Rs 10,000 are being provided as Kisan Samman Nidhi.
What steps have been made so far to bring back the ST voters, who dodged from your party in the previous Assembly elections as BJP won only 16 seats out of 47?
Jai Adivasi Yuva Shakti (JAYS) and Congress made a fake commitment before the 2018 polls to implement the PESA Act and farmers’ debt waiver to ST voters after coming to power it was not fulfilled. After becoming into power in 2020, our government implemented the Act, which will bring a revolutionary change in their life because it provides them with all rights. Apart from these, BJP paid respect to the community and had taken an Adiwasi daughter up to the highest position, the President, as Smt Draupadi Murmu Ji. You have seen in the previously held by-polls we have won all ST seats. Including several welfare schemes to them, 37 per cent amount of the total budget has been provisioned for the development of tribals. I firmly claim that BJP will register a victory on all ST-reserved seats, 47.
Will the Shivraj Singh-led government idea, the LBY be a game-changer for BJP in the polls?
Of course! the scheme will be a revolutionary step in bringing smiles to the life of more than 1 crore women in the state. Our government always works on women’s empowerment, several schemes like Ladali Laxmi, Knyadan, Gaon Ki Beti, Sambal etc are being run for their welfare. The LBY will be proved a game-changer in view of the elections. 33 per cent of the total budget allocation has been provisioned in the budget for women’s empowerment and their welfare, this is the live example of it.
The Opposition Congress accuses the budget is election oriented, what would you say about it?
It is the budget of people for the people, the budget is development and welfare oriented, in which no new taxes have been imposed and it is a budget of profit. In financial management, MP is at the forefront of the country as Union Finance Minister Sitaraman commented and the state has been awarded the additional allocation.
