lok-sabha-elections

Updated: May 23, 2019 21:26 IST

Bharatiya Janata Party national secretary Bhupender Yadav on Thursday spoke to Hindustan Times about the saffron party’s performance in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and said that the electorate had voted for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s model of governance.

The BJP is set to storm the Lok Sabha, with election commission figures showing the party leading in over 300 seats. “We have said it in our manifesto that nationalism is our inspiration, empowering the poor is our philosophy and governance is our mantra,” he added.

Edited excerpts:

Q What do you attribute this performance to?

From the beginning of his term, PM Narendra Modi had specified that his government will focus on empowerment and uplifting of the poor. During the five year term, efforts were made to take schemes to the poor in a transparent manner, decisions were taken in national interest and India’s image internationally was given a fillip. To ensure a continuation of this governance, the people of this county have again chosen to elect PM Modi.

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Q Was this election a referendum on PM Modi, and not the party?

It is a matter of happiness for us that the party has created such a big leader whose acceptance, recognition and respect spans from the north to the south, and from the west to the northeastern states. And under his leadership, the social and geographical expansion of the BJP will happen.

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Q How did BJP overcome the challenges of caste calculus in states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar?

People don’t understand that in this day and age, no one caste can be a slave to any party or family. As far as the BJP is concerned, we have given respect and position to all sections of the society. Those who are self-styled leaders of a caste are essentially only motivated by personal and family interests. Society, does not think like this, and the results are showing. The ‘sabha saath, sabha vikas’ policy followed by the Modi government ensured that we got the votes of all castes, including the Yadavs in Bihar.

Q What will be the party’s focus in the next five years?

Under the leadership of party president Amit Shah in the past five years, the party has expanded considerably, the (BJP’s) membership has gone up and we have adopted a scientific methodology. (The) BJP is working in a mission mode to take forward its ideology. The aim of this ideology is ‘nation first’. We have said it in our manifesto as well that nationalism is our inspiration, empowering the poor is our philosophy and governance is our mantra. The work we have done is based on the aim of taking the nation forward.

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