BJP leader Dilip Ghosh spoke exclusively to The Daily Guardian and discussed the party’s plan to win West Bengal. Excerpts:
Q: What is BJP’s strategy for Bengal elections?
A: We are working on the basis of the strategy already decided in the manifesto. We, our leaders, Home Minister, and Prime Minister, are constantly coming to Bengal. We want to console the people of Bengal; the country has started the journey under the leadership of Modiji, we want to involve Bengal in that journey.
People trust us, and the whole party and the Centre is with them. We are moving ahead with this vision and the workers of our areas and have been working continuously for the last three-four years. The result is that our team of workers is aware in every booth. Till now, the entire election campaign has not started, but thousands of people are joining our programs. Working on the same basis, we will get 200 seats and make the BJP’s government in Bengal.
Q: The Chief Minister of Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, said that she would give the coronavirus vaccine free in Bengal from 16 January; what is your response to this?
A: When the Prime Minister said that every person in the country would get the coronavirus vaccine for free, why would she need to speak about it again. The schemes which the Central government gives free, is not provided properly like, the Kisan Samman scheme, the Ayushman Bharat scheme which provides with five lakhs is not provided by her, the thing is that the time has come for this government to leave, but they are still trying to lure the public, something which is not going to happen according to them.
Q: It is an allegation of the Opposition that the BJP is working against the farmers. Yesterday BJP president J.P. Nadda talked to a lot of farmers, what is the BJP doing at the ground level for the farmers?
A: If this Bill, or BJP, was against the farmer, then you would see some movements and protests in Bengal, because the people of Bengal are the first to put it on the way, and they have been agitating against the Central government for almost the last 45 years, and to talk of yesterday’s rally around 26 lakh farmers came to. The rally which was held yesterday by the national party president, J.P. Nadda, was a farmers’ Gram Sabha, in which thousands of people came, the rally, or road show which took place in Burdwan, farmers also participated in it because that too is a farmer area. Farmers are with whom is clearly visible.