<p>New Delhi: As the election race in Rajasthan heats up, union minister Gajendra Singh Sekhawat is being touted as a likely contender for the top job, even though he is not contesting the elections. In a chat with <em>DH’s</em> Amrita Madhukalya, he says that irrespective of who gets the job, the whole unit will drive Rajasthan’s development story. Excerpts:</p>.<p><br>How confident are you of the BJP winning the Rajasthan assembly elections? <br>A. It is as clear as the fact that the sun rises in the East, we are sweeping the state. I say this with confidence after travelling across the state. There have been so many scams and mismanagement by the Gehlot government; the people of the state believe that they have been handed a raw deal. They are waiting to throw this government out. </p>.<p>What are the key issues these elections are being fought on? <br>A. Crime against women is a big issue. More than two lakh women have lodged complaints. Atrocities against Dalits have also risen over the last few years. </p>.Airport issue takes off this election season in Rajasthan's Kota.<p>During Birsa Munda’s birth anniversary, in his hometown, PM Modi announced schemes worth Rs 24,000 crores for the tribal population. How does that spell out in Rajasthan? <br>A. These schemes are not the only reason why the tribal populations have reposed their faith in us. In this country, for the first time after Independence, a tribal woman from Odisha was first made governor and then made head of state. Then, for the vanvaasis and adivasis, right from jungle rights to their share in yield, to building Eklavya Vidyalayas – the government has schemes due to which the tribal voter today can live with dignity.</p>.<p>Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has picked up the caste census, he calls it the X-ray that the country needs. What do you think? <br>A. The Congress party first divided the country based on dialects, then based on region, wealth, of religion, and now wants to divide the country based on caste. Before they moved ahead, Gandhi should look back into the comments made by his grandmother and great-grandfather.</p>.<p>The BJP manifesto has a lot of offerings – cycles, scooters, laptops, and even gas cylinders at Rs 400. How did you come up with these promises? <br>A. This is not just a manifesto; this is the next Rajasthan government’s vision document. We came up with these promises after speaking to people. This document is a roadmap for development as it touches the life of every voter so that we can move ahead to being a developed country by 2047. We believe that Rajasthan has the potential to move far ahead in development parameters, and the driver of that development is this manifesto. </p>.<p>There have been accusations of infighting within the BJP’s Rajasthan unit. How have you managed that? <br>A. These accusations have come from the Congress. I think Congress should look within, the kinds of fights they have had even before the government was formed in 2018 are quite telling. The leaders have been found verbally abusing their own PCC chief as well as other party colleagues. After all of that, they should not point fingers at us. </p>.<p>The BJP has fielded veterans as well as Parliamentarians in both Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. How has this change in strategy fared for you?<br>A. I have not fought these elections, but I am doing my bit as the party directed me to. All my Parliamentary colleagues who are fighting the elections have done so because in our party the decisions on what role suits which individual are decided by the elders in our party – the Parliamentary Board. In the BJP, what elections you contest, whether it is a panchayat, assembly, or Lok Sabha, is decided by the party. These decisions are made after a lot of thought, in our party we think of the nation first, then the party, and then the individual. </p>.<p>Can we say that you are in the race for the chief minister’s post?<br>A. See, like I said, all these roles are decided by the party. We’ll do what we are asked to do. Having said that, what is clear for us is that whoever gets the role, in making them successful in driving Rajasthan to development, all of us will lend a helping hand.</p>
<p>New Delhi: As the election race in Rajasthan heats up, union minister Gajendra Singh Sekhawat is being touted as a likely contender for the top job, even though he is not contesting the elections. In a chat with <em>DH’s</em> Amrita Madhukalya, he says that irrespective of who gets the job, the whole unit will drive Rajasthan’s development story. Excerpts:</p>.<p><br>How confident are you of the BJP winning the Rajasthan assembly elections? <br>A. It is as clear as the fact that the sun rises in the East, we are sweeping the state. I say this with confidence after travelling across the state. There have been so many scams and mismanagement by the Gehlot government; the people of the state believe that they have been handed a raw deal. They are waiting to throw this government out. </p>.<p>What are the key issues these elections are being fought on? <br>A. Crime against women is a big issue. More than two lakh women have lodged complaints. Atrocities against Dalits have also risen over the last few years. </p>.Airport issue takes off this election season in Rajasthan's Kota.<p>During Birsa Munda’s birth anniversary, in his hometown, PM Modi announced schemes worth Rs 24,000 crores for the tribal population. How does that spell out in Rajasthan? <br>A. These schemes are not the only reason why the tribal populations have reposed their faith in us. In this country, for the first time after Independence, a tribal woman from Odisha was first made governor and then made head of state. Then, for the vanvaasis and adivasis, right from jungle rights to their share in yield, to building Eklavya Vidyalayas – the government has schemes due to which the tribal voter today can live with dignity.</p>.<p>Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has picked up the caste census, he calls it the X-ray that the country needs. What do you think? <br>A. The Congress party first divided the country based on dialects, then based on region, wealth, of religion, and now wants to divide the country based on caste. Before they moved ahead, Gandhi should look back into the comments made by his grandmother and great-grandfather.</p>.<p>The BJP manifesto has a lot of offerings – cycles, scooters, laptops, and even gas cylinders at Rs 400. How did you come up with these promises? <br>A. This is not just a manifesto; this is the next Rajasthan government’s vision document. We came up with these promises after speaking to people. This document is a roadmap for development as it touches the life of every voter so that we can move ahead to being a developed country by 2047. We believe that Rajasthan has the potential to move far ahead in development parameters, and the driver of that development is this manifesto. </p>.<p>There have been accusations of infighting within the BJP’s Rajasthan unit. How have you managed that? <br>A. These accusations have come from the Congress. I think Congress should look within, the kinds of fights they have had even before the government was formed in 2018 are quite telling. The leaders have been found verbally abusing their own PCC chief as well as other party colleagues. After all of that, they should not point fingers at us. </p>.<p>The BJP has fielded veterans as well as Parliamentarians in both Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. How has this change in strategy fared for you?<br>A. I have not fought these elections, but I am doing my bit as the party directed me to. All my Parliamentary colleagues who are fighting the elections have done so because in our party the decisions on what role suits which individual are decided by the elders in our party – the Parliamentary Board. In the BJP, what elections you contest, whether it is a panchayat, assembly, or Lok Sabha, is decided by the party. These decisions are made after a lot of thought, in our party we think of the nation first, then the party, and then the individual. </p>.<p>Can we say that you are in the race for the chief minister’s post?<br>A. See, like I said, all these roles are decided by the party. We’ll do what we are asked to do. Having said that, what is clear for us is that whoever gets the role, in making them successful in driving Rajasthan to development, all of us will lend a helping hand.</p>