Ashok Chavan: ‘Mess in Congress unintentionally benefiting BJP’

Tasked with securing a win for BJP candidate Prataprao Chikhalikar Patil in the Nanded Lok Sabha seat, former Maharashtra Chief Minister and BJP’s Rajya Sabha member Ashok Chavan is campaigning vigorously. In an interview with The Hindu, Mr. Chavan, who recently joined the BJP by ending a decades-long family association with the grand old party, says there was no fear of any (investigation) agency and he faced many difficult times in the Congress, even when he was in power. “Why should I fear when I faced difficult times even when Congress was in power? Whatever I suffered, for no reason, was not the creation of the BJP; it was during the time Congress was in power. When I was in power.” The people of Nanded have accepted his decision, he said.

Edited excerpts from the interview.

Is Nanded a Congress stronghold or Ashok Chavan’s stronghold?

When I was in the Congress, I did my best to ensure that the party remained strong in the State and in my district. Now, I’m with the BJP, and things have changed at both the national and State levels. So, in the interest of the development of the district, I made a very conscious decision. Instead of being in the Opposition, which is inevitable since the Congress is not likely to return to power at the Centre or in Maharashtra, I decided to ensure that the development of the district does not suffer. The current state of affairs in Congress, particularly in Maharashtra, is in a shambles. The leadership lacks vision in the State and they have disrupted the entire culture of the Congress. Overall, the party workers are totally demoralised. So, this is the last struggle for survival in the Congress. Definitely, my interest was to ensure that my district, which has supported me all these years, does not suffer. It was time to switch to a party with a national presence. So, I joined the BJP.

How crucial is winning this election for you though you or none of your family members are in the fray?

See, elections are always elections and one has to face them as a challenge. I fought many polls as a Congress candidate and now I’m with the BJP. We’ll fight back and ensure that we retain the seat.

But, this election is different for you. You’re campaigning for Prataprao Chikhalikar, who defeated you in the 2019 Lok Sabha election.

Well, the party wanted me to support the candidate. They have given me a nomination in the Rajya Sabha, and while doing so, they said that the BJP seat here was crucial and asked me to work for the party in the State as well. So, I have taken it as a challenge.

Will the victory of the BJP candidate in Nanded decide the political future of the Chavan family?

I have seen ups and downs in politics. I have observed things very closely, so a win or loss does not decide the future of a person. We are going to win Nanded. There’s no question of losing it. And, my future, whatever the party deems fit for me, that’s okay.

The Congress is alleging that you have joined BJP fearing Central agencies. In fact, even Rahul Gandhi, in an oblique reference, said that a leader from Maharashtra cried in front of his mother, Sonia Gandhi.

I’m surprised that a tall leader like Mr. Gandhi would say something which is baseless and there’s no truth in it. I had not met Ms. Gandhi before leaving the party, so there’s no question of me expressing any feelings before her. It’s a fabricated story or a table news spread by Mr. Gandhi, probably to gain some votes for the Congress in the elections in Maharashtra. There was no fear of any [investigation] agency. Why should I fear when I faced many difficult times even when the Congress was in power? Whatever I suffered, for no reason, was not the creation of the BJP; it was during the time the Congress was in power. When I was in power. So, it is unfortunate that several dedicated leaders who worked hard for the party and delivered results are treated this way… so, whatever I faced over the last many years, it was not because of the BJP, but because of the Congress.

So, is it accurate to say that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s image is the primary focus in this election, rather than individual candidates?

The important part of the election is deciding who will run the country for the next five years. This is about electing a Prime Minister of the country and securing a stable majority government. So, while the candidate’s face is definitely important, the leadership of the Prime Minister matters more as people look forward. It’s not just a question of any individual’s face, but the acceptability of a person as a leader.

You’re one of the star campaigners of the BJP, yet you are barely seen in other districts.

Nanded, Hingoli, and Parbhani are going to polls in the second phase. These are crucial seats and I have been traveling to these places. After the polling here, there’s enough time for me to visit other districts in the next phases. What about the posters put up outside the villages by Maratha reservation agitators banning political leaders, particularly from the BJP, from campaigning in their villages? The Maratha reservation issue has indeed created some political challenges in some villages. I will not deny that, but at the same time we explain to them about the situation that a 10% reservation has already been given by the Eknath Shinde government and we will address the issue of ‘Kunbi’ certification. After the code of conduct is lifted, all the issues will be addressed by the government. Once you explain these two or three issues to the people, things are cooling down, except for one or two stray incidents. I spoke about these issues during the rallies held by Mr. Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and even Devendra Fadnavis. People are accepting. 

What is the acceptable factor among electorates to you as a BJP leader?

Well, that has to be seen during the upcoming polls. This is my district, as long as I’m in active politics, I continue to meet people, and I don’t see any dissent anywhere. There may be different views, but I don’t disagree. But, by and large, people have accepted me. Wherever people question my move, I have been answering them. Of course, when major decisions are taken there are bound to be reactions. I don’t know about Maharashtra, but the people of Nanded have accepted me as their leader and have respect for my family.

Were you dissatisfied with the Congress at the State and national levels?

The national leadership relies on feedback from State teams, which has often been misleading. There’s a lack of proper groundwork or analytical effort by the State leadership, especially in candidate selection, an area I was initially involved in. Whatever the State suggests, the Central leadership tends to accept it without verifying its accuracy. That’s why it settled for 17 seats when it should have aimed for at least 20. This mess, created by local leaders, has unintentionally benefited the BJP.

What are your plans going forward?

I’ll be serving in the Upper House representing the BJP, and many important decisions are expected in Parliament over the next five to six years. It’s a new beginning for me, and I’m adapting to the BJP’s style of functioning. People in the BJP have high expectations of me. What I can say is that the BJP is more organised than the Congress. With [State Congress chief] Nana Patole at the helm of affairs, things have deteriorated further. Merely giving interviews and making statements do not strengthen the party; it requires hard work at the grassroots level.