New Delhi: Senior BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu has said party will fight election in Uttar Pradesh on developmental agenda and not on issues like Ram Temple and ruled out projecting any chief ministerial face.
The “real alignment” is in favour of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who he described as the “mascot of development” and a “bigger face”.
The Information and Broadcasting Minister said the anti-black money campaign has attracted people, specially from the lower sections of the society, towards BJP and it will further get momentum with the “fruits” of the ban getting “visible”.
“We have reports coming from UP, newer sections and people who were keeping a distance from BJP earlier, particularly sections of the lowest strata, they are all moving towards BJP after the demonetisation or remonetisation. “This will I am sure gain further momentum as the fruits of anti-corruption vaccine administered by Modi become visible,” he told PTI.
To a query about the party’s strategy in Uttar Pradesh, he said, “There is no separate strategy for UP. You only have to convince people that they have seen SP, BSP and Congress for long. They have voted for Modi in the Lok Sabha overwhelmingly, and seeing the results at the Centre.
But the fruits of development are not reaching UP, its villages, because of the delivery system of Uttar Pradesh is totally corrupt or incapable of delivery. So elect BJP, so that UP also can develop. That is the development agenda,” he said.
Asked whether the Ram Temple issue would be part of BJP’s poll plank, an issue which earlier had played a key factor in Uttar Pradesh polls, Naidu said the subject is “dear” to the party but it will not be part of “electoral” strategy.
“Temple was never an election issue. It is an aspiration of the people. But you (media) people ask questions …and then we people respond.Temple construction is very dear to us. But that is not the electoral issue. Issue is development, development, development,” he asserted.
Asked about talk of rivals coming together to take on BJP, he said, “Mulayam Singh and son are falling apart, the son is coming close to the Congress party…..Let us see how it goes. But real realignment (is that) people are going with Modi…people of UP are looking to PM as mascot of development.”
To a query on the party’s chief ministerial face party in Uttar Pradesh, he said, “We have a bigger face. We succeeded in Maharashtra without announcing a CM candidate, we seceded in Haryana too. We seceded in Jharkhand without a CM candidate. “We have found that people are willing to vote for development and vote for party. The strategy differs from state to state.
But in UP, we have decided not to project anybody as CM candidate.” (PTI)
