POLITICS
‘Why has BJP been devalued in past 3 yrs?’ — Uma Bharti says party needs to fix image to win in MP
- Admin
- Oct 05, 2023
‘Why has BJP been devalued in past 3 yrs?’ — Uma Bharti says party needs to fix image to win in MP
While lauding BJP leadership's decision to field sitting MPs and MLAs in coming assembly elections, the former CM said she will contest 2024 Lok Sabha elections, but not from MP.
Asking what could have led to the ‘devaluation’ of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Madhya Pradesh, former chief minister Uma Bharti has said there is a need to correct the public’s perception of the party for it to form government in the state.
“I am shocked that three years back, Kamal Nath ji could not even muster the courage to face the floor test for fear his legislators would switch sides. The situation was so bad for the Congress [then] that if elections had happened, the party would have got 20 seats,
Bharti was referring to the rebellion of 22 Congress MLAs in 2020 that led to the fall of the then Kamal Nath government in Madhya Pradesh, with the latter choosing to resign instead of facing the floor test.
Looking back at the party’s alleged ‘devaluation’, she said, “…A perception has been created that we might not be able to form the government. Why has such a perception been created? What mistake of ours brought us to this…I am concerned because this government did make some good decisions.”
The senior leader said it required introspection “to understand why there has been anti-incumbency [sentiment]. There is a need for the party to do some self-reflection and if we are able to…make the people understand, things will become better.”
Bharti also lauded the BJP’s move to field sitting MPs and ministers for the coming elections in the state. “Ye toh mujhe bahut achchha lagaa… jo hua hai wo toh hona hi chahiye. Koi baap ki jaagir thodi hoti hai ki hum hi ladte rahenge. (I liked the idea…what has happened should anyway have happened. This isn’t anyone’s property that they can continue to contest elections).”
In a democracy, said Bharti, one may get the desired ticket twice, but not necessarily for the third time. “Satta ka ahankar nahi paalna chahiye ki main hamesha iss par baitha rahunga (One shouldn’t be arrogant about the power they wield),” she said.
On the party leadership, Bharti said she admired how Home Minister Amit Shah, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and party chief J.P. Nadda worked together…“Wo jitne chahe wo badal denge (They will change as many candidates as they want). Badalne ki aadat padni hi chahiye (Changing candidates should be habitual).”
The former CM said she will definitely fight the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, but not from the state. She said Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had also suggested that she contest from the state but she was not interested. “I could contest from UP or MP… and I think I should contest from a third state,” she said.
She said she “felt bad” that she was not invited for the and has since turned down invitations to attend yatras in the rest of the country, including one by the Chhattisgarh BJP.
On being reminded how Chouhan has not been officially fielded by the party for the assembly elections while many others have got a ticket, Bharti called Chouhan a committed party leader, and said, “I respect Shivraj ji a lot. Only Nadda ji can tell whether Shivraj ji will be a CM or not. He wasn’t made a minister twice in Atal Bihari Vajpayee government and it did not matter to him. He is not after power.”
Bharti said she has been highlighting the issue of OBC quota for women in Parliament for many years and will continue to raise it. Claiming that women from OBC will be left behind while those from SC and ST communities will get 24 percent reservation, she said she had written to the PM, asking that an amendment she had proposed back in 1996, when the bill was first presented, be incorporated.
“When the then H.D. Deve Gowda–led government introduced the women reservation bill in 1996, I said OBC women should also be included, which is why it was sent to the standing committee. At that time, both the BJP and the Congress said there should be reservation for SCs and STs but not for the OBCs. Yet, I pressed for OBCs to be included,” she said.
Bharti was referring to the rebellion of 22 Congress MLAs in 2020 that led to the fall of the then Kamal Nath government in Madhya Pradesh, with the latter choosing to resign instead of facing the floor test.
Looking back at the party’s alleged ‘devaluation’, she said, “…A perception has been created that we might not be able to form the government. Why has such a perception been created? What mistake of ours brought us to this…I am concerned because this government did make some good decisions.”
The senior leader said it required introspection “to understand why there has been anti-incumbency [sentiment]. There is a need for the party to do some self-reflection and if we are able to…make the people understand, things will become better.”
Bharti also lauded the BJP’s move to field sitting MPs and ministers for the coming elections in the state. “Ye toh mujhe bahut achchha lagaa… jo hua hai wo toh hona hi chahiye. Koi baap ki jaagir thodi hoti hai ki hum hi ladte rahenge. (I liked the idea…what has happened should anyway have happened. This isn’t anyone’s property that they can continue to contest elections).”
In a democracy, said Bharti, one may get the desired ticket twice, but not necessarily for the third time. “Satta ka ahankar nahi paalna chahiye ki main hamesha iss par baitha rahunga (One shouldn’t be arrogant about the power they wield),” she said.
On the party leadership, Bharti said she admired how Home Minister Amit Shah, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and party chief J.P. Nadda worked together…“Wo jitne chahe wo badal denge (They will change as many candidates as they want). Badalne ki aadat padni hi chahiye (Changing candidates should be habitual).”
The former CM said she will definitely fight the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, but not from the state. She said Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had also suggested that she contest from the state but she was not interested. “I could contest from UP or MP… and I think I should contest from a third state,” she said.
She said she “felt bad” that she was not invited for the and has since turned down invitations to attend yatras in the rest of the country, including one by the Chhattisgarh BJP.
On being reminded how Chouhan has not been officially fielded by the party for the assembly elections while many others have got a ticket, Bharti called Chouhan a committed party leader, and said, “I respect Shivraj ji a lot. Only Nadda ji can tell whether Shivraj ji will be a CM or not. He wasn’t made a minister twice in Atal Bihari Vajpayee government and it did not matter to him. He is not after power.”
Bharti said she has been highlighting the issue of OBC quota for women in Parliament for many years and will continue to raise it. Claiming that women from OBC will be left behind while those from SC and ST communities will get 24 percent reservation, she said she had written to the PM, asking that an amendment she had proposed back in 1996, when the bill was first presented, be incorporated.
“When the then H.D. Deve Gowda–led government introduced the women reservation bill in 1996, I said OBC women should also be included, which is why it was sent to the standing committee. At that time, both the BJP and the Congress said there should be reservation for SCs and STs but not for the OBCs. Yet, I pressed for OBCs to be included,” she said.
