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Senior Congress leader Sachin Pilot has supported India’s action against terrorism in Pakistan, saying his party would support such strong action on the Indo-China border too. Speaking to News18, Pilot said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘400 paar’ rhetoric is “to finish off the opposition”.
News18 travelled with Pilot on Monday on his campaign trail in the Shekhawati region of Rajasthan with rallies in Sikar, Jhunjunu, Jaipur (Rural), and Alwar ahead of Lok Sabha Election 2024. In a detailed interview, Pilot made a big claim that the Congress will win more seats than the BJP in Rajasthan, after scoring a blank in 2014 and 2019. “Our candidates and campaign are better this time,” Pilot said and also defended the candidature of former chief minister Ashok Gehlot’s son Vaibhav Gehlot from Jalore, saying he was a part of the decision. “No one asks why Vasundhara Raje’s son is again contesting from Jhalawar…” Pilot said.
He said that the BJP terming Congress manifesto as akin to that of the Muslim League smacked of an effort of polarisation. “This country belongs to everybody and every single citizen has equal rights. To see religion in everything the opposition does is also a sense of insecurity,” Pilot told News18. Pilot said when to declare candidates from Amethi and Rae Bareli was the party’s “prerogative and strategy”, and said Rahul Gandhi was actively campaigning. “Let bygones be bygones,” Pilot said, on if Congress would have performed better in state polls if he was projected as CM.
Here are edited excerpts from Pilot’s interview with News18:
Q: Congress could not win any seat in Rajasthan in 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha Polls. Will it be any different this time?
Sachin Pilot: A lot has changed in the last 10 years. The continuous victory of the BJP in Rajasthan has made the people tired of the BJP because expectations have not been fulfilled. Last time, elections were held under typical circumstances as we are a border state and there was a different atmosphere at that time due to action on the border (Balakot). Now, 5 years are gone and after 10 years of the Modi government, all major promises on price rise and doubling income of farmers have not been fulfilled. The performance of BJP MPs is also under a question mark. We did not form the government in December but the difference between BJP and Congress vote share was just 1-2%. But now, I feel there is a desire for change. Our candidates and campaign are better and the new state government in the last four months has not left a mark on people. We will win more seats than BJP in Rajasthan.
Q: But Narendra Modi has given the slogan of ‘400 Paar’ for the NDA…
Sachin Pilot: There seems to be complacency in the BJP and also a bravado in the rhetoric of ‘400 paar’. If the BJP was so confident of ‘400 paar’, why would they want to break the opposition, take Congress leaders and give them tickets to fight? Obviously, they sense people’s patience is running out after 10 years. The time has come for people to ask questions and ask for transparency on issues that are important to their daily lives. It is not about emotional and regional issues, elections should be fought on people issues. Congress and INDIA are trying to bring back focus on elections and people issues. All this talk of ‘400 paar’ and ‘Amritkaal’ and ‘2047 mein yeh hoga’… rather a 10-year report card should be up for debate.
The attitude now is ‘vipaksh ko khatam kar do’ (finish the opposition, finish the Congress). That is not the right way to think in a healthy democracy. In a democracy, the opposition is almost as important as the government. There has to be a level playing field. There is no level playing field…you freeze accounts, and jail elected CMs while a model code of conduct is in place. You can investigate anyone and take action – but why is it that 95% of your searches, raids and arrests happen with people in the opposition and the minute that person joins the BJP, he becomes clean and you say the law will take its own course. People are able to see through this. They are misusing central agencies to serve their political interests.
Q: This time, PM and Rajnath Singh have said ‘Ghar Mein Ghus Ke Marenge’ on Pakistan-sponsored terror. ‘The Guardian’ has done a report on India eliminating terrorists on Pakistan soil…
Sachin Pilot: Anything that India as a country does to safeguard its borders, and to take action against anybody who is anti-national whether within India or outside India – not just I, my party, and the entire country supports that action. That action is always in the interest of our country, our sovereignty, our integrity, and our internal security, that is above elections, that is above party politics, that is above BJP and Congress. I support the point that anything we do as a nation that supports our internal security and securing of borders….also if the government takes action on the China border where incursions are from the Chinese side — we will support that. Rhetoric and speeches are one thing during elections, but your performance and actions are very important when you are in government. Any action against terrorists, who will oppose that?
Q: Prime Minister has called Congress Manifesto to be inspired from that of ‘Muslim League’ and accused your party of appeasement…
Sachin Pilot: When we say we will give a legal guarantee for MSP and Rs 1 lakh to every poor household in the country, 50% of jobs will go to women, we will uplift weaker sections – where does religion come into it? The constitution is very clear – this country belongs to everybody, and every single citizen has equal rights. To see religion in everything that the opposition does is also a sense of insecurity – because that is the last stop. Mandir, masjid, hindu, muslim – why don’t you talk about infrastructure, growth, progress, welfare schemes? Whatever we do in this country should have an open thorough debate. Everyone has a right to express their opinion, let it be debated in parliament and state assemblies – and whatever the consensus comes, we should do that, but to base an election only on contentious issues to polarize the thinking of voters, I do not think that is healthy for our democracy.
Q: Both you and Ashok Gehlot are not contesting these elections? But Digvijaya Singh and Bhupesh Baghel have taken the plunge…
Sachin Pilot: Everybody in Congress is given specific tasks, someone is doing communication, and someone is doing election campaigning. You are right, Baghel and Digvijaya Singh, our former CMs are contesting, because the party thought they were the best candidates to fight. I am campaigning in Rajasthan, I have been given charge of Chhattisgarh, I will be going to Maharashtra and Jammu and Kashmir. Kisko kya karna hai, that is decided by the leadership of AICC. But it is our collective responsibility, haar jeet sabki hai. I am campaigning in all 25 Lok Sabha seats of Rajasthan.
Q: Ashok Gehlot’s son Vaibhav Gehlot is contesting again, now from Jalore. Isn’t this parivaarvaad?
Sachin Pilot: Ashok Gehlot’s son fought the last time but was not successful. This time, amongst all candidates, the party decided after a survey and discussion with all leaders including myself, that let’s select the most winnable candidate and that is Vaibhav Gehlot and I am sure he will win from Jalore this time. When Vasundhara Raje ji’s son (Dushyant Singh) is contesting for the 4th time from Jhalawar, that is not parivaarvaad? You cannot be selective in your definition. Ultimately people are wiser to decide.
Q: The Prime Minister asks where is your Captain…should Rahul Gandhi not lead?
Sachin Pilot: This is an election on issues, it is not a popularity contest. It is a parliamentary form, you are electing an MP, and the largest party will decide who will lead the government. In INDIA bloc, we will decide who gets what position once we get the mandate from the people. BJP has a PM, they are fighting with him…we have come together despite the differences because the need today is for a strong opposition and INDIA is coming together in various states. We are giving a formidable challenge and come June 4, we will get the required numbers to form the government.
Mallikarajun Kharge is our president, but Rahul Gandhi also leads from the front…he is doing 2 to 3 rallies daily, he has done two yatras, and he is doing the best he can. The key lies in the heartland states where there is a bipolar contest between BJP and Congress.
Q: But you are not even able to declare your candidates from Amethi and Rae Bareli so far…
Sachin Pilot: We have 7 phases of elections. As and when a phase is coming, we are announcing candidates. It is our prerogative, our strategy and our decision about who will fight and when we announce who is going to contest. Let the BJP worry about its own candidates.
Q: What went wrong in the 2023 Rajasthan elections?
Sachin Pilot: See, we have been losing every time after forming the government in Rajasthan…it has been going on for three decades. We tried our best, we got 70 seats which was much higher than earlier when we got just 21 seats in 2013. But unfortunately, 18 of our ministers lost. If we had given more new people chances, we could have performed better. We are all wiser in hindsight. Also, over-dependance on some bureaucrats created some problems in the organization. We have done some course correction and now our campaign and candidates are better, and the response of people is much better.
Q: Some say the party may have won Rajasthan if you had been projected as the CM?
Sachin Pilot: Let us let bygones be bygones. What’s gone is gone. Our focus is now on the Lok Sabha elections. In the first phase, we are very well placed. We did well in the Shekhawati belt in assembly elections also. That will set the tone for the rest of the state. The top brass of BJP is here full throttle. PM Modi is campaigning every alternative day – this shows there is some nervousness in the rank and file of the BJP.
Q: You are arguably the most popular leader of your party in Rajasthan but you are just a member of the campaign committee, not its chief…
Sachin Pilot: I am now a General Secretary in the party and I have got responsibility of an important state (Chhattisgarh). I am campaigning hard for the party and I think the party has given me enough chances in the Centre and the state, bahut kuch diya hai. I continue to work hard whatever the circumstances. I give it my best, I am campaigning the hardest.
Q: Why do you think people should vote for the INDIA bloc?
Sachin Pilot: Congress and INDIA bloc are presenting an alternative governance model…we will protect constitutional bodies in this country. The process where politics of using agencies for political purposes should be stopped and brute force and politics of aggression should stop. You suspend MPs and pass bills. Whatever people will decide, we will humbly accept that. You give 80 Cr people subsidied food and then you say that we are becoming the 3rd biggest economy in the world.
Let’s have an election which is on a level playing field. No point in doing politics which inflames passions, the BJP is just calling names to Jawaharlal Nehru, Rajiv Gandhi, Indira Gandhi, and Manmohan Singh. They are just creating media hype.
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