Express Interview with Anurag Thakur: ‘Kejriwal biggest liar, no anti-incumbency against BJP in Hamirpur, country’

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal says that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will retire and Home Minister Amit Shah will be the next PM. Your response?

Arvind Kejriwal is the biggest liar in this country. He can say anything about anyone. He has deceived the people of Delhi and Punjab with his lies. His comments only entertain the people of this country and will benefit the BJP on June 1. I often wonder how a man like Arvind Kejriwal could be the chief minister of a place like the national capital, Delhi.

This is your fifth election. Do you not think there is anti-incumbency against you? If not, what is your unique selling point?

The BJP does not believe in the term “anti-incumbency.” My party has worked in Hamirpur and all over India. PM Modi symbolises confidence, honesty, commitment, and guarantee. He is still a factor, as in 2014 and 2019. The BJP is fighting the 2024 Lok Sabha elections on the image of PM Modi and his mantra ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas or Sabka Prayas.’

Yes, my USP is to always remain grounded. I stay in Delhi, but I can assure you I am the most connected politician here. People know me personally, and I also know them personally. Moreover, the Hamirpur parliamentary constituency is witnessing overall development, whether in the fields of health, road construction, transportation, education, tourism, or employment. The development is a continuous process that I will take further.

Six Congress turncoats joined the BJP, which further allotted them tickets for the June 1 bye-elections. Many senior leaders, including former CMs Shanta Kumar and Prem Kumar Dhumal, raised concerns. Reports suggest people are annoyed. What is your take on this?

One thing is clear: the Congress pushed these six MLAs to take the step they did. They were all elected representatives of the public. The manner in which they were being humiliated was intolerable. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu was not giving them time to meet him, and the genuine demands of the people of their constituencies were being thrown in the dustbin, etc.

They came to the BJP seeing the party’s culture of promoting hardworking individuals and the country’s overall development. As of now, the entire BJP in Himachal Pradesh is standing with these six MLAs like a rock. The people of Himachal Pradesh will elect them.

Congress has fielded leaders like Anand Sharma, along with two MLAs — Vikramaditya Singh and Vinod Sultanpuri — in the Lok Sabha election apart from BJP rebels Capt Ranjeet Singh Rana and Rakesh Kalia in Assembly bypolls. There is a rebellion among BJP leaders, including Dr Ramlal Markanda. How do you see this?

The BJP will win all four seats in the state and 400 seats in the country. High command and senior party leaders are in touch with those who announced rebellion. I am sure that they will all be back in the party fold before June 1. The Congress government led by CM Sukhu has failed to deliver anything since coming into power in December 2022.

You have been in Delhi for a long time. When will you return to state politics?

Anurag Thakur is happy wherever he stays. It is the party that decides the role of its workers. Wherever the party keeps me, I will stay there.