‘BJP is losing here…Why import 6 out of 10 candidates from other parties in Haryana?’: AAP candidate Sushil Gupta
“In Haryana particularly, the (Manohar Lal) Khattar government used power and force against farmers, protesting youth, patwaris (village accountants) and clerks,” Sushil Gupta said. (Express photo)
Riding on a strong anti-BJP sentiment, resentment among farmers against the ruling Haryana government and anti-incumbency, Sushil Gupta of the AAP-Congress INDIA alliance is confident of a thumping victory from Kurukshetra.
In an exclusive interview with Parveen K Dogra, the former AAP Rajya Sabha MP and now INDIA candidate from the Mahabharata’s battleground, Gupta claims the BJP is being wiped out from all 10 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state as farmers, youths, traders, government employees and women have made up their mind for a change.
Sushil Gupta
“My father and I have done farming but since I am a Baniya by caste and have been in touch with traders and businessmen, I am also called a businessman. I am not afraid of any investigative agency and I have nothing to hide,” Sushil Gupta said.
Excerpts:
How is the Lok Sabha election 2024 campaign going for you in Kurukshetra?
Sushil Gupta: My election campaign is in full swing and I have visited over 500 villages in the constituency so far. My family and I have reached out to over 1,000 wards and met the voters. We are getting full support and each voter in Kurukshetra wants the INDIA alliance to win. BJP has exploited the farmers, women, youth and the boundaries of the country and there is a wave of change in Haryana as well as in the country.
Inhone dande ki bhasha boli hai aur ab janta iska badla lene ko tayar khadi hai (They have used force upon everyone here and now the voters are ready to avenge through their votes).
Your opponents call you an outsider and a parachute candidate for Kurukshetra. What is your Haryana connection?
Sushil Gupta: I am a resident of Shamlo Kalan village in Jind district which shares a boundary with Kurukshetra district. It is just a 25-minute drive from here and I also own a house in Kurukshetra. I am the chairman of Shree Brahampuri Annakshetra Ashram trust, constructing an 18-storey temple and a charitable hospital on over 2 acres of land. How can I be called an outsider? I have been the state president and state in-charge of AAP. People know my contribution to public welfare during the flood and COVID pandemic in Haryana.
My opponent Naveen Jindal is from Hisar and Abhay Singh Chautala is from Sirsa. Both are from comparatively distant areas than me.
How big is the farmers’ protest issue for the INDIA alliance and do you see it improving your winning prospects?
Sushil Gupta: BJP is losing here as the party lies at every step. The saffron party had 10 MPs and is in power in the state and Centre. What led them to field 6 out of 10 candidates from other parties? It shows their fear of losing. BJP brought Naveen Jindal who was accused of a coal scam worth Rs 1 lakh 86 thousand crore and the accusation had come from the Prime Minister himself. What is PM (Narendra) Modi’s stand now? Has he lied to the nation or told the truth? At least Naveen Jindal should tell the people if the PM’s statement was true or a lie. Who will clarify this?
The Opposition has constantly been accusing the government in power of misusing investigative agencies. Being a businessman, are you facing any ED or CBI threat?
Sushil Gupta: I was born in an Agrawal or a Baniya family so people assume I am a businessman. I am a farmer though. My father and I have done farming but since I am a Baniya by caste and have been in touch with traders and businessmen, I am also called a businessman. I am not afraid of any investigative agency and I have nothing to hide.
What problems are you facing as your top leadership is unavailable for your election campaign?
They can put the body of Arvind Kejriwal behind bars, not his soul. He is the name of an idea. We have lakhs of Arvind Kejriwals in the country now and they all want to make India prosper, developed and educated. By putting Kejriwal in jail, the Modi regime has put the last nail in the coffin now.
Why are most of your Rajya Sabha MPs missing from protests in Delhi and Lok Sabha election campaigns?
Sushil Gupta: Seven out of our 10 MPs are from Punjab where the Lok Sabha election is on and the remaining three are from Delhi. Sanjay Singh has come twice here, N D Gupta came for my nomination and Swati Maliwal will also be coming soon. MPs from Punjab will also come for my campaign and once my election is over, I will also go to Punjab.
What kind of pact does the AAP have with the Congress in Haryana? Your assessment of the outcome?
We are in complete coordination and cooperation with the Congress. They are helping us in Kurukshetra and we are doing the same for them in the remaining nine seats in Haryana. I can claim with full confidence that the INDIA alliance is going to register a thumping victory on all 10 seats in Haryana. The balloon of BJP has deflated as the ground reality is different.
Abhay Singh Chautala (the Indian National Lok Dal candidate) will not be able to secure more than 30,000 voters and Naveen Jindal will lose by over 5 lakh votes. I can bet on this. Jindal is facing so much voter resentment…he was hoping to float thinking old Congress voters would support him. Not even a single Congressman is happy with his move to switch to the BJP.
What is your blueprint for the development of Kurukshetra?
Sushil Gupta: This has been a religious and spiritual site where Lord Krishna gave the sermon of Gita. Whoever has been the Kurukshetra MP, did not pay heed to its development. The town still awaits a bypass, it does not have a single boys’ government college and locals rarely get admission into Kurukshetra University due to the all-India ranking. The area has only one government hospital with 100 beds where three patients share a single bed. The absence of an MRI machine, the low strength of doctors and the unavailability of even basic medicines tell the whole story. The region needs extensive efforts for its development.
How do you see AAP’s deviation from the ‘party with a difference’ principle over the years?
We are the followers of Babasaheb Ambedkar’s principles and he asked us to educate, agitate and organise. We are the party which spends 28 per cent of our budget on education, and 14 per cent on health, which no other party in India does. We provide free electricity, water, free bus travel to women, free pilgrimages for senior citizens, Rs 1 crore to martyrs and compensation to farmers if their crops get ruined. And despite all these public welfare schemes, our party government adds Rs 8,400 crore per year to the exchequer.
Haryana needs better roads, schools, hospitals and employment opportunities. The youth are being pushed towards drugs and intoxication. The state government here does not provide anything free for the common citizen. Still, they are under a Rs 50,000 crore deficit every year due to their corrupt and inefficient policies. So, in this way, we are the party with a difference.
Will this AAP-Congress pact continue to the Assembly elections in Haryana a few months later?
This is the central leadership’s decision and they will decide about the pacts. All I can tell you is that the BJP is being dethroned from the Centre and the state in Haryana.
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