Guna (Madhya Pradesh): Union Minister and ruling party’s candidate from the Guna-Shivpuri Lok Sabha constituency Jyotiraditya Scindia is really hard at it – drumming up support for himself – almost round the clock.
He is holding meetings and interacting with the public. Scindia feels the election is taking place to see India progress under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In a tete-a-tete with the Free Press, he spoke on a variety of issues.
Excerpts:
What kind of progress are you talking about? How is it impacting the election?
Scindia: The world’s view about India has changed by 180 degrees. And it has been possible because of Prime Minister Narendra Modi who enhanced the country’s prestige in the world. All nations across the world are looking up to India to solve their problems. This is the achievement that the country has made for the first time after freedom.
There are so many achievements. But why are the controversial issues being raised?
Scindia: The BJP has not done this. A party wants to do politics only by appeasing others. They say if they come to power, they will snatch 55% of properties from those who have received these chattels through inheritance. They will x-ray each home and snatch the properties. The Congress is saying such things.
What is the difference between the BJP regime and the Congress rule?
Scindia: More development work has been done in the past ten years than it was done in more than six decades. Whether it is the construction of roads or that of airports – everything has been done. Eighty crore people are being given rations. What can be a better achievement than this?
During the Russia-Ukraine war you yourself went to the spot to bring the Indian students from there. What is its impact on the election?
Scindia: This impossible thing could be made possible under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Bringing 25,000 students from a war-ravaged land was possible only because of the Prime Minister.
The ruling party is contesting the election with the slogan – Aab ki bar 400 paar. Is it possible to achieve this target, despite low turnout of voters?
Scindia: We are fighting the election with the pledge that the NDA will win 400 seats. We are sure that it will be possible under the Prime Minister’s leadership.
As far as low turnout of voters is concerned, it happened because of weddings, but the BJP’s vote share has not declined. The lowest percentage of voting that an area in our country registered was higher than the highest percentage of voting recorded in any other country in the world.
You’re already a member of the Rajya Sabha? What prompted you to fight the Lok Sabha election?
Scindia: I’m a man on the road. A down-to-earth person. So, I look up to the Lok Sabha.
What are the local issues in Guna?
Scindia: The people of Guna have trust in me for the development work I did for this constituency. Roads, schools, hospitals and colleges have been built. The area has everything that it needs. Development has always been my buzzword. And I have thrown my hat into the ring with this agenda.
