There is no national wave for any political alliance in the Lok Sabha elections but a strong “below-the-surface mood” against the UPA government will ensure the NDA comes to power, says Sudheendra Kulkarni. The party leader and columnist told IBNLive readers in a web chat on Monday the BJP’s trump card is L K Adavni. The BJP believes the India can solve the economic crisis by shifting centre of gravity of the economy to agriculture, rural areas, and the urban poor, he said.
Rohit: What is the most significant change that an L K Advani-led government will bring to the middle class?
Sudheendra Kulkarni: The middle-class is very important in the BJP's strategy. India's growing middle-class is a vast reservoir of ambition, aspiration and capability. What it is looking for is the right environment of good governance. Today the middle class is experiencing despair, uncertainly and insecurity.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will replace this national mood with hope and optimism, but improving the security environment and accelerating economic growth in favour of the poor and the middle classes.
Arun: What is BJP's long-term plan to make inroads in South India?
Sudheendra Kulkarni: We have made the beginning by succeeding in forming a government on our own in Karnataka. What is required is to understand the peculiar regional-cultural personalities of the southern states. We must respect their regional and linguistic identities. The BJP will continue its efforts in this direction. Already, in Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh, the BJP is a strong force.
Rohit: What is your view on making India a low-cost driven economy? We will need a slew of new internal procedural reforms to achieve this.
Sudheendra Kulkarni: I cannot agree with you more. India needs far-reaching internal reforms in governance, in order to reap the full benefit of our growth potential. This is why Advaniji has been focusing on good governance again and again. no other political leader in India has been so consistent and persistent in the advocacy of good governance.
Navneet Priyadarshi: How is the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), especially the BJP, going to tackle and highlight the pseudo-secularism of the opposition in the election campaign?
Sudheendra Kulkarni: Pseudo-secularism is a lost cause. Just look at all those parties which ally with the BJP when the need arises but call the party “communal” when, for electoral considerations, they sever ties with us. The people of india have seen through this tamasha (farce).
Earnest: Will your party remove the special status of Kashmir and let people from rest of India reside in Kashmir? Today, the people of Kashmir are alienated from the rest of India.
Sudheendra Kulkarni: The BJP is the first party to demand, and agitate for, full integration of Jammu and Kashmir with the Indian union. Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee, founder of the Jana Sangh, became a martyr to this cause in 1953.
Our commitment remains the same. It is the Congress and other so-called secular parties that see our stand on this matter as "communal". They do so for petty vote-bank considerations. But Kashmir's full integration with India is certain. It may take time. But it is going to happen.
Shailesh: Sir, I'm from Athani, North Karnataka. For the people from my region, it really doesn't matter too much who's the candidate for the PM’s post, as much as the candidate who is contesting and his experience. I was wondering how does the BJP election committee select candidates for elections. Mr Advani is quite fit and can think strategically, but why should I vote for him?
Sudheendra Kulkarni: I too am from Athani! The central election committee of the BJP has been exercising utmost care in selecting the right candidate in every constituency. The scope for shortcomings has been minimised. As far as your second question is concerned, I appreciate that you have not yet decided on which party to vote for.
There are many uncommitted voters like you. We are trying to reach out to them through a number of initiatives. Since we are talking to each other on the online platform, may I suggest that you visit www.lkadvani.in. I am sure you will be in a better position to decide after familiarising yourself more with the BJP and its leader.
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Amit: Why is there no national wave in favour of the BJP, as the UPA government has totally failed on issue of national and economic security?
Sudheendra Kulkarni: I agree that there is no wave. Generally, a wave exists when there is an emotive issue, as in 1984 after Mrs Indira Gandhi's assassination. But in spite of the absence of a wave, there is a strong below-the-surface mood against the UPA government.
Amit: What is BJP's plan to make India's security robust and make India a military super power?
Sudheendra Kulkarni: As far as internal security is concerned, the BJP will adopt a policy of zero tolerance towards terrorism. The support infrastructure for terrorism within the country will be destroyed with sustained action. About the external linkages of terrorism, India will take appropriate actions to see that Pakistan gets rid of the terror infrastructure on its territory. We want India to become a strong military power.
However, I do not think we should become a military superpower. Rather, we should work towards building a world in which there are no military superpowers.
Vinayak: Is this not the time to bring people like (Gujarat Chief Minister) Narendra Modi in centre?
Sudheendra Kulkarni: Isn't Narendra Modi already at the centre of the BJP's election campaign? He is one of our star campaigners.
Kunal Saini: What will be Advaniji's stand on nuclear deal?
Sudheendra Kulkarni: The BJP's stand on the nuclear deal remains unchanged. India is ready to have civil nuclear cooperation with the rest of the world . But we shall protect our independence in strategic defence matters and also our right to conduct further nuclear tests, if needed.
IBNLive reader: Don’t you think having a communal person like Advani, who has tried to divide the country on religious lines, will completely destroy this country?
Sudheendra Kulkarni: Please, do not be influenced by what a section of the media, and our political adversaries, say about Advaniji. Judge for yourself. I suggest you read his autobiography My Country My Life to know the real Advani.
Earnest: Sir, with the economic recession, will you bring out plans and how the party will go about to implement those plans? Most of the manifestos remain plans and are never implemented. A roadmap to take our country to forward for the next five years would be highly appreciated.
Sudheendra Kulkarni: True, India is in economic recession. And UPA will behind an exchequer burdened with an unprecedented fiscal deficit. The first two years will be difficult. But the BJP is capable of facing difficult situations.
Please remember how the Vajpayee government faced the economic sanctions imposed on India by western countries after Pokharan II. Did we bend? Did we crawl? No, we stood firm. Ultimately, the US and other countries came around to befriend us and lifted the sanctions. We want to assure the countrymen that we shall overcome the economic crisis with the cooperation of the people.
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Yadu: Is there any action plan Advaniji has for addressing global recession issue?
Sudheendra Kulkarni: I suggest that you read on www.lkadvani.in Advaniji's speech at the FICCI annual general meeting last month. Our priority is to revive the Indian economy and put it on a path of sustainable development.
This can happen only if we shift the focus from the bubble-creating stock market-oriented growth model to a model that emphasises real wealth creation and gainful employment and entrepreneurship opportunities in both rural and urban India.
As Advaniji said: just as the centre of gravity of the global economy has shifted from the West to Asia, the centre of gravity of the Indian economy must shift to agriculture, rural areas, and the urban poor. When that happens, India will truly emerge as an even more powerful engine of global economic growth.
Aman Ujjwal: What is Advaniji view on the Justice Rajinder Sachar Committee's report on Indian Muslims?
Sudheendra Kulkarni: The BJP is totally opposed to religion-based reservations. The matter was discussed in the Constituent Assembly before the Constitution was finalised, and almost unanimously opposed and rejected. The Congress is trying to revive it for vote-bank considerations. It will not help the minorities either.
Indeed, the Sachar report is a mirror that reflects how our Muslim brethren have been betrayed by the Congress. The question is: why are a majority of Muslims poor and backward? Who is responsible? It is high time Muslims asked the Congress party these uncomfortable questions.
Narayan K: With the current allies in the NDA you may not even be able to cross the 210 mark in Parliament. Post-poll do you think AIADMK and TDP will support you to form the next government?
Sudheendra Kulkarni: We do not wish to get into the numbers game. One thing is certain. There will be a BJP-led NDA government. More allies will certainly join us after the polls.
Mallika: What is your opinion regarding the threat posed by the newly formed Third Front?
Sudheendra Kulkarni: The Third Front poses no threat to the BJP at all. It is the most fragile formation in Indian politics that one can think. After elections, it will collapse in the same way that the UNPA collapsed and disappeared last year.
Aakash: Don’t you think that the BJP is alluring the elite sector of the country and is neglecting the majority of poor section in the country?
Sudheendra Kulkarni: Let me remind you that the BJP-led NDA government started the most ambitious rural infrastructure development project since Independence in the form of the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana. Whom did it benefit? The poor or the rich? Our party is committed to the philosophy of Antyodaya: uplift of the last man in society. This will be reflected in the Agenda of Governance of the NDA.
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IBNLive reader: In recent days there have seen some serious reports of infighting within the BJP. It is really saddening to hear that a person like Arun Jaitely is being sidelined.
The BJP claims to be opposed to dynastic politics, but has declared a huge list of candidates whose only credibility is being a sister, brother or son of a MLA or MP (The list of candidates for Karnataka is one such instance).
Sudheendra Kulkarni: The BJP is indeed a party with a difference, if you compare it with other parties in the fray. Our greatest strength, which sets us apart from other parties, is our ideology and the leadership of Advaniji. Yes, there are some weaknesses in our party, which are on account of the environment in which we operate. But our party has the internal resilience to overcome them.
Vijay Anand: Don’t you think Advaniji is little aged to hold the Prime Minister’s post?
Sudheendra Kulkarni: Dear friend, age is about mind and not matter. If the mind is sharp and the body fit, it doesn't matter. As far as Advaniji is concerned, he is one of the fittest octogenarians in the country.
In the past year alone, he has travelled more often and to more places in India, addressed more rallies, interacted with more people, and spoken out on more issues publicly than any other political leader in the country.
More important, he is the most experienced politician in India today. He has proved himself to be a man of conviction and integrity. At a time when India is facing a severe economic crisis, is confronting several challenges to internal security, and is surrounded by a neighbourhood in turmoil, what India needs is a strong and experienced leader. And experience is not something a person is born with, nor does it come automatically with the name of a privileged family one is born into.
(Sudheendra Kulkarni is a columnist and an aide to Lal Krishna Advani, the Prime Ministerial candidate of the BJP and NDA. He earlier served as an aide to Atal Bihari Vajpayee in the PMO. )
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