BJP leader and retired IPS officer Bhaskar Rao dismissed the possibility of the ongoing farmers’ protest in Delhi having any bearing on the outcome of upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
Mr. Rao, who was in Mysuru on Wednesday holding a meeting with leaders of the Brahmin community, expressed confidence that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will win the elections and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will return for a third term.
Contending that the protesters, who gathered in Delhi, were not farmers, he said: “They have come in luxury cars”. The protest was a “toolkit” deployed by a desperate Opposition before the polls. Referring to the farmers’ demand for law guaranteeing Minimum Support Price (MSP), Mr. Rao said the protesters do not want MSP, but a change of the regime.
“The protesters do not have any concern for the farmers. They only want a regime change,” he alleged.
When asked if he was also an aspirant for the Mysuru Lok Sabha seat, Mr. Rao said he was eligible for a contest, but had left the decision to the party leadership.
“I am ready to take up whatever responsibility the party leadership gives me”, he said while adding that he had worked as a police officer in Mysuru and Kodagu as well and had ensured that not a drop of blood had been shed in any place of his posting. “If the party gives me an opportunity, I will surely contest”, he said.
He pointed out that “winnability” was an important criterion for choosing a candidate and the BJP had an established procedure to choose a candidate that included surveys and consultation with various sources including party workers and people in the society.
Batting for entry of more people from the Brahmin community into politics, Mr. Rao said the community had a lot of people in various professions like lawyers, doctors, professors, scientists and employees in multinational companies. However, if one had to serve the society, it is imperative to be in politics. Hence, he said the meeting in Mysuru was part of a debate he had initiated for members of the community to enter politics as aggressively as other sections of the society.
