Congress does not need an alliance in Rajasthan, will beat BJP on its own: Sachin Pilot to WION

Sachin Pilot is President of the Rajasthan Congress Committee. He has been a two-term MP and also served as a minister of state under Manmohan Singh.

He lost his Lok Sabha seat in the Modi wave of 2014. Since then he has kept his focus on Rajasthan, even relocating to the state.

Today, with an assembly election coming up, the Congress is on a strong wicket in the state. It is the BJP government that will have to fight anti-incumbency. The Congress did very well in the recent by-elections and Sachin says the BJP will be defeated in Rajasthan. His entire interview with WION follows:


WION: How has the Rajasthan government handled the farmer unrest and the debt issue?
Sachin Pilot: 150 farmers have already committed suicide in the state. Farmers'distress today stands at its worst stage. The state government has turned a blind eye to the farmers'problem. Unavailability of water and seeds compounded with debt management has broken farmers back in the last 3 years.

WION: Do you think rural distress as an issue can also resonate in Madhya Pradesh?
Sachin Pilot: Both Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan are suffering from massive agrarian distress. Both are agriculture based states and a large part of population depends on it. BJP has not paid sufficient attention to the farmers. Congress too has not forgotten Mandasaur incident. It is for this reason Congress President Rahul Gandhi visited the place to mark death anniversary of the farmers who were shot while agitating. I feel this resentment will express itself during the time of vote.

WION: Is Kairana a roadmap for the Opposition for the coming Lok Sabha elections?
Sachin Pilot: To an extent but every state has a different dynamic and tieups will happen keeping that in mind. Mrs Gandhi had recently organised a meet of 17 parties. Subsequently we saw a realignment in Uttar Pradesh. But we should not forget that Congress is the only party which can nationally mount a challenge against BJP. For any anti-BJP alliance, Congress will have to be in the pivot position. Political players to come together on a platform like this will have to give up personal interests.

WION: What about states like Rajasthan where Congress does not need an alliance? Will the Kairana model be applicable there?
Sachin Pilot: Rajasthan is a two-party state. Elections are fought between BJP and Congress. Our party does not need any alliance in the state. We will defeat BJP on our strength. Rajasthan bypolls have shown as to how weak BJP has become in the state. Lot of like-minded people in Rajasthan are coming together to fight BJP. Tribals, Dalits and farmers have received a raw deal under the Rajasthan government.

WION: Congress is refocusing on OBC vote. Historically, after Charan Singh’s exit from Congress, OBC votes remained with the Opposition parties then and now rests with BJP and regional setups. How do you expect Congress to catch up?
Sachin Pilot: It is never too late. Congress is a rainbow party. I will not deny that strong OBC leadership in recent past have emanated from regional parties. It is a talented community and Congress will be building its fresh leadership in the party.

WION: You said Dalits have got a raw deal in Rajasthan but if you look at the Karnataka results, BJP has not done badly in reserved constituencies.
Sachin Pilot: I’m not an expert on Karnataka. In north India, atrocities against Dalits have increased manifold. Dalit community is very vulnerable today. They have been at the receiving end and in many states, videos of violence against them have also come up. So, there is a huge turnaround of the Dalit community in north India.

WION: Can we say that Sachin Pilot is the CM candidate?
Sachin Pilot: No. It all depends on the Congress President Rahul Gandhi. My job is to fight election. We will fight elections collectively. I have received support from everyone and it is for this reason that Congress gave impressive results in Rajasthan.

WION: How is your relation with Ashok Gehlot? (Senior Congress leader and former Rajasthan CMAshok Gehlot has been moved to Delhi and made a General Secretary of the party.)
Sachin Pilot: I have a very good relationship with Ashok Gehlot. I have good relationship with everyone in the Rajasthan Congress. Ashok Gehlot and many other senior leaders have done good work in the state. Now he has a new assignment as General Secretary of the Congress Party.

WION: Congress has built a strong anti-Modi campaign but you have not come out with alternative ideas and a positive theme. Why?
Sachin Pilot: Tall promises were made by Narendra Modi and not us in 2014. We are doing the correct thing by asking questions. We are exposing BJP by asking questions as everyone knows that promises have not been kept. We are not being just critical. We are making BJP accountable. And Congress too will have a positive campaign. Let the time come.

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