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The opposition parties in the INDIA bloc have come together to save their own skin following action against corruption by the Narendra Modi government, union minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Kiren Rijiju told CNN-News18 in an exclusive interview.
“I can say with confidence that action is being taken against the corrupt, and in the present regime, nobody can even dream of being corrupt, doing corruption. I can’t say about the past, but under Modi ji, it is impossible for any corruption to happen,” he said. “Modi is doing so much work that is actually bringing these parties together because what binds them is corruption and dynastic politics. The Congress party which imposed Emergency in the country is giving lecture on saving democracy right now. When they are in power, then everything is okay, and when people vote them out of power, they feel democracy is in danger.”
The BJP leader also took aim at Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal who is in judicial custody after being arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the alleged excise policy scam.
“Have you seen a person like Kejriwal who is giving himself an opportunity to rule from jail? How can a jailed chief minister rule the state? Who is Kejriwal? Is he the Supreme Court or is he the supreme commander? Is he the king? How is he giving a clean chit to himself and other leaders around him? Does he have the authority to distribute clean chit? This is a typical habit of Kejriwal,” he said. “The people of Delhi and the voters will not be impacted. And, in fact, by doing all this, he will lose whatever little credibility he has.”
The Congress and its alliance partners only know how to abuse Modi and talk ill about constitutional authorities and bodies, he said. “They have not even spared the Supreme Court when the apex court has not given them a favourable verdict. Even recently, the letter which was written by prominent lawyers reflected that they did not want the leaders to pile any pressure on the judiciary. How can they try to influence the judiciary? One must let them function independently,” said Rijiju.
He also hit back at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi who had accused PM Modi of trying to do “match-fixing” in the Lok Sabha polls.
“I wanted to remind him of his match-fixing with the communist party of China. We work by the rule of the law and as per the Constitution and all this bogey of the opposition will not cut ice with the people of our country,” Rijiju told CNN-News18.
The BJP leader also took a dig at Rahul over his electoral and political fortunes. “Rahul Gandhi has lost the opportunity. At the age of 54-55, one must peak In terms of political maturity and understanding of issues. But Rahul Gandhi relies on the advice of some of his NGO connections and his friends, who have no connection with the ground. So wherever Rahul Gandhi goes and speaks, the Congress party loses the election,” he said.
The tiny island of Katchatheevu between India and Sri Lanka on Palk Straight has become the latest flashpoint between the BJP and Congress ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. The disputed area was given to Sri Lanka by the government headed by late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi through an agreement in 1974, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as other BJP leaders have used the issue to target the Congress and its ally DMK.
Speaking on this, Rijiju said, “The Prime Minister does not mention that he has discovered something new. This is a historical fact and everybody knows that the government back then had gifted the piece of land to Lanka. The question that needs to be asked is why was it done,” he said. “It is not a question of the BJP being desperate. It is about stating facts. The Tamil Nadu chief minister himself wrote to the Prime Minister to get the land back. If the timing is being questioned by the opposition, then they must ask the Tamil Nadu chief minister, why he wrote to the prime minister requesting for the land to be gotten back.”
Several opposition leaders such as TMC’s Mamata Banerjee have opposed the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act by the BJP-led Centre. On this, Rijiju said, “CAA is clear in its law and its implementation. There is a rubbish campaign that is being run by the Congress, the Leftists, and some of the ‘tukde tukde gang’. They are trying to mislead the people by running these false narratives and campaigns. They want to bring chaos to society? In my state it has been well-defined about which areas would be exempt, etc. It’s good for us, especially tribals.”
The BJP leader said that the people of the country should not fall prey to the “propaganda of the opposition” on the issue of alleged Chinese intrusion. “The government is doing what no other government has done for the people of Arunachal Pradesh. Obviously, China is upset with the government of India because we are building infrastructure along the border. They would have been happy with the Congress government for doing nothing,” he said.
He also spoke about his party’s electoral situation in Arunachal Pradesh. “There is no competition to us as we have already won 10 seats out of 60 seats in the assembly. We are looking for a clean sweep. We will win Lok Sabha with record margins,” said the BJP leader. “Before I became a member of Parliament, Arunachal was not even on the development map of the country. But now we have road connectivity, rail, and other connectivity. We have a 4G network and because of this development, we are confident of this clean sweep.”
The BJP has its eyes set on the northeast region, which sends 25 MPs to the Lok Sabha.
“From the first day, the PM said governance must reach each part of the country. There was so much insurgency because there was no voice for them in Delhi and that’s the reason they felt cut off. But now every voice and every concern is taken into account on the demands of the people of that region,” Rijiju said. “Genuine efforts are being put to solve issues and not brush them under the carpet like the previous governments. The earlier governments, whether UPA or Congress, would only listen to these issues and buy time. But now there is a genuine effort to solve each issue. Although some issues are multidimensional and complicated, it is taking time.”
So, is the BJP-led NDA confident of reaching its 400-seat target in the Lok Sabha polls? “The prime minister has reflected the mood of the nation and the slogan of Abki Baar 400 Paar first came from the people of the country,” said Rijiju. “The PM just echoed the emotions of the people. This country is on a growth journey where big nations have crumbling economies. His government has taken tough decisions whether it is the abrogation of Article 370, removing triple talaq, etc, and has built a strong nation. Why would anybody want to think that the people of the country will not bless Modi?”
Rijiju also elaborated on the catchphrase “Modi ki guarantee”. “Guarantee is what makes sense because Modi did whatever he had promised, and probably even more than what he had promised. The track record of Modi as chief minister of Gujarat was definitely there, but his credibility as the prime minister of the country is many notches higher. There was a time when the respect for political leaders and leadership in this country was going very very low. But now with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the government at the Centre for the last decade, people have begun to trust the political leadership and the faith in politicians has been renewed,” he told CNN-News18.
So what does the BJP plan on doing if it wins a third consecutive term at the Centre under PM Modi? “The Prime Minister has laid a very strong foundation for the country in the last decade that this government has been in power. But between now, when the third term begins and up to 2047, the prime minister is speaking about the Amrit Kaal, when we have to work towards a completely developed nation. As a minister, I know exactly what I am to do once we return to power. The roadmap and the blueprint for Modi 3.0 is ready. We will begin on a new journey for a developed nation from then.”
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