If elected, would work to bring back Bengal's culture and heritage: BJP leader Chandra Bose

How is the campaign going on?

Well I have focused on house to house campaign. Although in the Lok Sabha election, it is practically impossible to go house to house but I have started this because the ideal way to connect with people is to visit them in their own house. So I am concentrating on the basti (slum) housing and I have covered most of the wards.

What kind of response are you getting from public?

I had contested the West Bengal assembly elections in 2016 against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee from Bhabanipur constituency. That time also I had visited people who did welcome me. But there is a marked difference in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. The enthusiasm and excitement that the people are showing towards me are something very heartening. They are inviting, embracing and taking me to their house, offering tea. So one clear indication which I got is that people of Dakshin (south) Kolkata are with the Bharatiya Janata Party this time. I am confident in winning this seat primarily for couple of reasons. Firstly, our politically opponents- Trinamool Congress and Left- failed to fulfill their promises. Five times Mamata Banerjee was elected as an MP from Dakshin Kolkata but she never kept her promise of development of slum areas, sewage, road conditions and others. Only painting the walls with blue and white colours does not make any infrastructural development. So she has failed to develop her constituency.

Is development the only issue for people, as you are saying, who are moving towards the BJP?

The Trinamool government has failed on all counts including education, health and industry. We were told that multi-speciality hospitals would be built. Now that was done basically to cater to the syndicate raj. Hospital buildings have been constructed but there is neither any equipment nor a doctor. So the objective is only to make money out of syndicate. Secondly, the law and order situation in south Kolkata is in a very precarious state. Women cannot go for shopping to Gariahat market (a big market area in south Kolkata) in the early evening hours as their chains are getting snatched. We have never faced such a law and order issue in south Kolkata. The syndicate raj is prevalent here that even my cousin Sugata Bose, who is the outgoing Trinamool MP from Jadavpur constituency, got his house attacked. Trinamool goons demanded money from Bose as he was repairing his veranda. So even Trinamool leaders are not getting spared. So people are disgusted and fed up of Trinamool Congress. Now they want BJP government to return to power at the Centre with Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister and a spokesperson like me in the Lok Sabha from Dakshin Kolkata.

So you are focusing also on state issues to win the Lok Sabha election.

Exactly. Today the issues concerning West Bengal are not getting voiced by Trinamool Congress MPs. All industries in the states are now closed. Mamata Banerjee in 2011 made a commitment that she would open all sick industries and would bring core sector industries like steel, cement and automobile. Instead of bringing them (industries) to the state, she has driven them out. Today if Tata Motors factory would have come to Singur, the place would have been like Jamshedpur. 150 ancillary companies would have been set up. The whole place would have been prosperous but today it (land in Singur) is a graveyard. She misguided a certain section of the farmers and raised a political movement to drive out the Tatas. Instead of that, she could have brought Tatas to the negotiating table with the farmers who were not interested in giving their land and settle the matter. Farming is not possible with the land she has returned to the people. Tata's 90 per cent of work was done before they were driven out. The company had suffered huge losses. If I get a chance, I will bring Tata Motors back to West Bengal. I would bring core sectors industries back to the state so that employment is created. Of course we will not take fertile land where farming is done, but we would take wastelands where industries can come up. The Left Front government had made a mistake of taking a fertile land. Mamata Banerjee says there is a land bank. Where is that land bank? Why no industry is coming? She organises a bogus Bengal Summit where people come,  have their lunch and dinner and go back. Not a single investment came to the state. Not a single MoU has been implemented. So how long can she fool the people of West Bengal? People of south Kolkata are very intellectually bright who can't be fooled anymore.

Both BJP and Trinamool are led by mass leaders like Narendra Modi and Mamata Banerjee respectively. As the electoral battle in the state has almost turned into one between BJP and Trinamool, would like to know how an individual candidate like you matter?

See first of all, the NDA government is not a Namdar government but a Kamdar one. We have a proven track record of five years. Lot of people say there was a Modi wave in 2014. If there was a Modi wave then, I would say there is a six-time Modi wave in the 2019 General Elections because the NDA has performed. In 2014, people voted for Modi and NDA for a corruption free government because the Congress ran a government of scams. But today, Modi government is much stronger because we have performed on a pan-India basis. Speaking about individual candidates, I feel, as people say, that honesty, integrity are very important. I hail from a family which has a clean corruption-free image. I didn't join politics to make money as I am self-sufficient. I have just come to work for people and do something for south Kolkata. I think people are fed up with this corrupt Trinamool Congress government. I don't want to make any comment on my opponent candidates- Mala Roy of Trinamool and Left's Nandini Mukherjee- but the party they represent are no longer desired by the people of south Kolkata.

In 2016 assembly elections, corruption was BJP's one of the major issues particularly after the Narada sting footage came to light. Post-assembly elections, Mukul Roy, one of the accused in Saradha chit fund scam, came from Trinamool to BJP. Of late, also BJP is seen less vocal against Trinamool's alleged corruption in the state. Do you think the corruption issue has taken a backseat in recent times?

I think the main issue in the 2019 election is performance of the BJP-led NDA government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Corruption is certainly the other issue. None of the accused leaders, who have joined the BJP in recent times, are convicted or charged. Allegations are there against all political leaders but those allegations will have to be proved in the court of law. So whoever has joined BJP from Trinamool has not been convicted or named in any chargesheet. So it is not fair to state whether they actually indulged in corruption. But as a whole, Trinamool Congress is a party, which I feel, is a congregation of people who have joined together to loot the state of West Bengal. I think Congress was on the top of the charts in 2014, but today I think Trinamool Congress has attained the first position in corruption in the country.

Don't you think inducting leader like Mukul Roy, who is an accused in Saradha scam, taints the BJP's anti-corruption image which it is trying to project?

See a national party like Bharatiya Janata Party will have to have all types of people. But a person is innocent till the time he is convicted. But yes the allegations are there. But a party needs all types of people for the teamwork. Mukul da (Mukul Roy) has a proven track record of being a very strong organisation man. In fact, he is the man who actually built the Trinamool Congress. Mamata Banerjee's image was there as a mass leader but it was Mukul Roy who had built the party at the grassroots level. So he is an asset I feel. The court will decide whether he is corrupt or not. It is not our work to judge. People will also be able to judge and we won't influence their judgement. If Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah have decided to induct someone into the party, I am no one to comment on it. The Bengal team of BJP is very strong.

Earlier in an interview you had stated that BJP's religion card won't work in West Bengal. Do you stand by your comment?

See religion is somebody's personal issue. We respect all religions. That is Narendra Modi's mantra. But we don't want to appease a particular religion. Mamata Banerjee has done a great harm to West Bengal by appeasing a single community. Now she has understood that she may lose the majority vote bank. Her politics, which is a politics of hypocrisy, is geared towards vote bank. We respect all religions and the Bharatiya (Indian) Muslims. I want to make it very clear that I am for all Hindus, Muslims but not for anti-Indians.

Amit Shah said BJP will win 23 seats from West Bengal. Is the aim too high or feasible considering the organisation of ruling Trinamool Congress?

We are fighting in all 42 seats. If people are allowed to really vote according to their wishes, we would get more than 25 seats in West Bengal.

Are you hopeful that elections in the state will be free and fair?

Well, that is our intention. We have in fact written to the Central Election Commission urging them to ensure free and fair elections. Without central force, there is no point in holding an election in West Bengal. We have seen the panchayat elections where more than 120 people were killed. BJP's people were killed, murdered and injured. There is no point in holding elections with the state police. All booths are super-sensitive in West Bengal. Of course the central force don't do voting. So BJP workers will have to mobiliise their supporters and voters to come to the booth and ensure safe return to their houses. We will ensure that. We have enough activists to conduct this exercise. But central force is a must in all booths. They will have to do marches across the state.

But the Election Commission has stated all booths are not sensitive in West Bengal.

I think their analysis is not correct. I would like them to review it once again. All booths are super-sensitive. Already three of our mandal presidents have been beaten up with sticks. I have already filed an FIR, informed the Commissioner of Police and reported to the Election Commission. We are not allowed to do campaigns! People are getting beaten. How do you expect our voters to go to the booths and vote for us? They (Trinamool) are not even willing to take the risk of seeing that anybody votes for BJP. So under these circumstances, West Bengal cannot go to polls without central forces and without declaring each and every booth as super-sensitive.

What would be areas which you would like to focus if you win the election?

First of all I would like to bring back the heritage and culture of Bengal which has been diluted. I believe in equality but oppose Mamata Banerjee's appeasement politics. Narendra Modi's slogan 'Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas' is the ideology of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose (Indian nationalist). In the Azad Hind Force, Netaji united all religions, communities and fought for the nation. Narendra Modi wants to do the same thing. But we are not going to appease anybody. Mamata Banerjee's appeasement politics might lead to riots in the state at any given moment. Riots also took place in some places of West Bengal. We want to unite everyone and develop our nation. All Indians can live in West Bengal but not the ones who are against the country. Mamata Banerjee is trying to dilute the heritage and culture of Bengal. The Bharatiya Janata Party will bring back (culture and heritage) and give respect to Bengal. In south Kolkata, I will ensure proper sewage, drinking water, road conditions, slum developments. These are the basic issues on which I would like to work provided the people of Dakshin Kolkata give me a chance and I am absolutely sure after my interactions with people over the last 25 days that West Bengal and my constituency will vote for BJP.

How the Lok Sabha polls are crucial for BJP's political future in West Bengal?

The Lok Sabha election is a semi final match. I am positive that we will win majority number of seats in the Lok Sabha polls. The final match, of course, will be the assembly polls in 2021. In 2021, we will have our Chief Minister and the BJP government in the state.

Images: Avishek Mitra/IBNS, Chandra Bose Twitter handle