UP polls: ‘Polarization is fine with BJP, SP, but people need politics without caste or religion’, says Priyanka Gandhi
Strong points
- Priyanka Gandhi Vadra says the BJP could end up benefiting from “dividing rhetoric” in UP.
- She said the public needs another type of politics without caste or religion.
- She said Cong will decide whether to forge a post-election alliance once the election results are known.
Alleging that the polarization suits both the BJP and the SP to shore up their voting bases in Uttar Pradesh, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said on Tuesday that the ruling party could end up being the biggest beneficiary of this rhetoric that is divisive and therefore people should have a choice. of another type of politics which does not divide society into religions or castes.
Citing that the agricultural laws and the Lakhimpur Kheri incident have caused “tremendous pain” to farmers, she also said the government’s “indifferent” and “hostile” approach to farmers will play a big role in determining the result of assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh. western belt.
FULL COVERAGE OF THE 2022 ELECTIONS
In an exclusive interview with PTI, Priyanka Gandhi said her party would ask whether to forge a post-election alliance once the election results are known and if and when such a situation should arise.
As her party went to the polls emphasizing women and announcing that it would give them 40% of the tickets, she said that women made up 50% of the population and that if they consolidated into a force political and electoral by recognizing their own value and strength in political terms, they can change the politics of our nation.
Asked about the key questions in the Uttar Pradesh polls and the impact of farm bills and the Lakhimpur Kheri incident, she said different political parties were highlighting different issues, some of which are divisive and aimed at polarize the debate according to religious or caste criteria. .
“It is a reality of UP politics that elections are run and often won in this way, but I strongly believe that must change. Elections must be conducted on issues of development — employment, creation jobs, health services, education — these should be at the center of our discussion and debate,” she said.
The Uttar Pradesh Congress is working on a positive and progressive agenda, Priyanka Gandhi said, adding that “we have refused to engage in negative discourse”.
Regarding agricultural bills and the Lakhimpur Kheri incident, they have been a source of “tremendous pain” for farmers across the state, but especially in western Uttar Pradesh, he said. she stated.
“I believe that the government’s indifference, hostile and autocratic approach towards the farmers who were protesting and those who lost their lives, will play an important role in determining the outcome of the elections in the Western Belt,” Priyanka Gandhi said.
The Center repealed the three farm laws last year after a nearly year-long protest by farmers, including from western UP, who had camped on Delhi’s borders, demanding their repeal. In addition, eight people, including four farmers, were killed during a farmers’ protest on October 3 in Lakhimpur Kheri.
On divisive rhetoric and how her party plans to counter polarization, Priyanka Gandhi said she believes that on some level it is the “polarizing force” of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) or the Samajwadi Party (SP), it serves the same purpose – it suits both parties as it consolidates their voting bases.
“At the end of the day, I think the biggest beneficiary of this polarization could end up being the BJP. To stop the BJP in fact, you need a party that changes the discourse rather than offering another pole for the polarize more,” she said. apparent blow to the SP. The answer to this kind of politics lies in refocusing the agenda on development, she added.
His remarks come days after Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said assembly polls in the state would be around “80% to 20%”, evoking a fierce response from the opposition who accused him of trying to polarize the electorate. Muslims make up about 20% of the state’s population.
BJP leaders have been accused of raising issues such as Ram Temple and Kashi Vishwanath Temple to polarize voters. The saffron party, in turn, denounced the SP party led by Akhilesh Yadav by invoking Mohammad Ali Jinnah and Pakistan to vitiate the discourse.
Priyanka Gandhi said that people are suffering and they need to be made to relate this suffering to lack of governance. “Event management is not the same as effective governance. People need to understand this and demand good governance. State in India, the truth is that the BJP UP government does not know how to govern,” she alleged.
“Basically, he allowed the mafias to take over and destroy the structures that support governance and development. He did next to nothing to build infrastructure, improve education and health care, create jobs and reduce the massive hit that small industries and businesses have taken after Corona,” said Priyanka Gandhi.
Stressing that people need to be shown there is a choice, Priyanka Gandhi said another kind of politics is possible, and that it is more beneficial to them than the politics of division which only benefits some political parties.
On her party making a strong case for women in the polls and basing the campaign on that, the congressional secretary general said she believes women should vote as a separate political entity and that’s a start in that direction.
“They represent 50% of the population, but they are extremely underrepresented in the political space. If they consolidate themselves into a political and electoral force by recognizing their own value and their strength in political terms, they can change politics of our nation,” she said.
Voting for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly, which has 403 members, is scheduled to take place in seven phases from February 10 to March 7 with vote counting to begin on March 10.
