Starting his career as the BJP Yuva Morcha president of Azamgarh in 1986, Vijay Bahadur Pathak has come a long way and is now the UP BJP vice-president and an MLC.

In an interview with Manoj Bhadra, Pathak, a Brahmin face of the saffron party, talked about the performance of the Yogi Adityanath Government during its six years in office and the party’s preparations for the 2024 Lok Sabha poll.

Excerpts:

Q. What is your take on the BJP’s organisational strength and how it is that the party has become invincible since 2017?

A: The BJP has done two things during its nine-year rule at the Centre and six-year rule in UP. It has gone on an expansion drive as it was earlier known only as the party of traders and upper castes and the other important factor is that the party has earned credibility.

The Modi-Yogi magic has prevailed in UP in all the elections since 2017 and people from every section of society have supported the BJP. Besides in UP, the party leadership was able to earn the faith of the masses which can also be termed as a proincumbency factor.

Q. In the recently held urban local bodies poll, the BJP won all 17 mayoral seats and got a majority in most of the urban bodies. What could be the reason for this debacle of the Opposition?

A: As everyone was aware, the smaller the number of votes, the harder the elections. So we went to the civic polls with a strategy and almost contacted all the voters in this election. Our cadre worked very hard and the candidates we had fielded received overwhelming support from the masses. The BJP won a majority of the seats in these elections and rectified all the lapses that occurred in the 2017 polls when the party lost the Meerut and Aligarh mayor seats.

Another factor was that people after seeing the performance of the double-engine government were eager to have a triple-engine government by supporting the BJP candidates in the urban local bodies polls.

Q. The BJP has turned into a massive political outfit in UP and its organisational structure has demolished all the Opposition parties in UP. How did it happen?

A: During the past several years, particularly after Narendra Modi came to power at the Centre in 2014, the BJP has formulated new strategies to communicate with the people. We have focused on Samvad (communication) with the people which has given us momentum to expand our base with our popular slogan of ‘’Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas”. Now after six years of BJP rule in UP, this slogan has become a reality and people too have realized that the BJP is working for the people. Besides, the pandemic has also proved that the BJP is the only party in the country that can stand for the people during any crisis.

Q. Do you think the Prime Minister’s Mann Ki Baat’ has anything to do with the expansion of the party’s base in the state and the country?

A: The programme has certainly been successful in creating a sense of national unity and patriotism among the masses and allows the PM to speak directly to citizens without any intermediary. It has created a sense of inclusivity and allowed people from all walks of life to share their experiences with him. This popular programme regularly features stories of ordinary citizens who have made extraordinary contributions to their communities or the country as a whole. These stories serve as inspiration to listeners and create a sense of pride in the achievements of their fellow citizens. Besides, the programme has become an important tool for the government to communicate with citizens and has helped promote transparency, accountability, and national unity.

Q. After the six-year rule of the BJP in UP, minorities, particularly Muslims, also seem to be slowly inclining towards the party. In the last Assembly elections, statistics show the BJP received support in Muslim-dominated areas too. How did it happen?

A: In the past 9-10 years, the BJP has successfully converted the vote bank of beneficiaries of the central schemes in its favour. We did not discriminate against anyone in providing the benefits of the schemes and it is on record that the Muslim families have benefitted the most under the schemes. In the past, the SP government brought a scheme named ‘Hamari Beti, Uska Kal’ which was only for Muslim girls while a big leader of the country during the UPA regime had publicly said that Muslims have the right to the maximum use of the country’s resources. But we provided transparent schemes to benefit all without any discrimination which is the reason for the Muslims now believing in the BJP. The Muslim beneficiaries of the central and other schemes of the government are now lending all their support to the BJP as their life has changed with these schemes.

The recent victory in the Rampur and Azamgarh Lok Sabha and Suar (Rampur) Assembly by-polls proves how the minorities supported the BJP candidates in a big way. On the other hand, in civic polls, too, Muslim candidates of the BJP were victorious in several areas dominated by minorities.

Q. The Lok Sabha elections are around the corner and the BJP is banking largely on seats from UP. How will the party fare in the elections and how will it manage to win most of the 80 seats?

A: UP is always important for any party to come to power at the Centre as there are 80 seats. The BJP won 71 seats in 2014, a monumental increase from the ten seats it won in the 2009 elections. In the 2019 polls, the BJP and its ally won 64 seats even when the SP and the BSP had an electoral alliance. Later, the BJP grabbed two seats from the SP. But this time, the BJP is targeting to win all the 80 seats. There is no doubt that the target can be achieved as the main focus now is on the seats lost in 2019. Besides the SP and the BSP have lost their credibility among the people and both have been termed as caste-based parties. The BJP, on the other hand, has been identified as a party of all sections, castes and communities. The Congress is almost extinct in UP along with other smaller parties.

Q. Will the charisma of Narendra Modi and the popularity of Yogi Adityanath again play an important role in UP during the Lok Sabha polls?

A: It is true that the magic of Narendra Modi works in the entire country and the masses believe in his words. Yogi Adityanath adds to that charisma since he has given a clean and transparent government during the last six years. The PM contesting from Varanasi also adds a political flavour to seats in eastern UP. The improved law and order situation under Yogi Adityanath is appreciated in the country as well as at international forums. Development will be the main issue in the Lok Sabha polls on which the Opposition parties have nothing to say These things will certainly give an edge to the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls.

Q. Reports say that the grand Ram temple in Ayodhya will be inaugurated before the LS polls. Will it help in garnering Hindu voters for the party?

A: Lord Ram is adored by every Hindu and they all want the Ram temple at the Janmabhoomi to be completed soon so that they can worship there. The grand Ram temple is expected to be inaugurated in January next year and people will start worshipping there. The Ram temple will also set an example that Narendra Modi has fulfilled his promise made to the people of the country as he did by abolishing Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.