Assam BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma spoke with the founder of Jan-Ki-Baat on India News on the exit poll result that showed the BJP returning to power in the state. Edited excerpts, translated from Hindi:
PB: As per our exit poll, BJP is gaining 70-81 seats in Assam. What is your initial response to India News Jan Ki Baat exit poll?
HBS: Our internal assessment suggests that we will be around 80 seats. Your exit poll is also showing the same, but we will be on the higher side of the exit poll.
PB: You have had an alliance with UPPL. If we see the strike rate of BPF and UPPL, the latter does not seem positive, whereas BJP is projecting the best strike rate. How do you like to react to this?
HBS: I am confident that BJP and UPPL together will sweep the Bodo areas, that is because BPF has got the majority of votes from Muslim men, not even from women.
PB: I heard this song in Assam, “Ayese ayese, Himanta ayese” which is very popular. According to the poll you are winning the Jalukbari seat by a large margin. There was a strong Congress -AIUDF alliance this time. What worked for the BJP in spite of that?
HBS: By getting into an alliance with Badruddin’s Ajmal’s AIUDF, Congress may get a few seats but it has lost Assam’s mainstream voters. If you analyse the political arithmetic of the state, you will realize that Congress allying with AIUDF is the greatest blunder. They would have got some Muslim votes even otherwise, and hence could have gone for a post electoral alliance. But the alliance resulted in major counter polarisation, because of which no one—be they Assamese mainstream, Bengali speaking people or my tribal brothers and sisters—voted for it. This is the political reason. There is an economic reason. The money we gave in women’s accounts, the microfinance loans… Women voted for us in large numbers. Third, we got the blessings of the people for the work we did during Covid. Fourth, Prime Minister Modi’s work for the Northeast also got votes for us. The announcement PM Modi made in the Budget for the ladies working in tea gardens also helped us.
PB: Why did Priyanka Gandhi’s efforts fail?
HBS: Any tourist politician who comes for ten days before election and thinks will win, that time, I think, has gone. When the Prime Minister by working 24X7 has set an example, people don’t believe in photo-ops. Priyanka Gandhi has been in politics for four-five years but has never visited Assam, so visiting Assam before election is not going to win votes. People of India have moved ahead.
PB: You are also the Health Minister of Assam (apart from Finance). How is Assam tackling with Covid?
HBS: Assam has its own model. We don’t take Covid lightly and for granted. We give our complete focus on it. The state needs 22 MT of oxygen daily, but we can produce 67 MT of oxygen daily. Similarly, we have worked to stock Remedesivir injections. We have ICUs and oxygen beds and our covid care centre can treat 10,000 patients at time. For seven days Covid graph has stabilised and Guwhati, which had become a hotspot is showing a decline. I think in 10-15 days we will have good results in combating Covid. We have built 11 oxygen plans, and will make one more active by 30 April.
PB: BJP is winning states but losing India. This is a narrative in western media. What’s your take on it?
HBS: Who votes in elections? Don’t Indians vote in elections? Western media does not appreciate Indian democracy. They only believe in US model of democracy, where even now there is a dispute over Trump’s defeat. Our democracy is transparent. Give us some time and let the vaccination happen and I believe that Covid will be gone from India and the same media will write articles in appreciation of Narendra Modi.