Sunil Tatkare Interview: ‘There is no infighting in Mahayuti. Every party has a right to stake a claim on a seat if it feels it’s strong’

Here are the edited excerpts:

The Raigad seat has traditionally been fought by the Shiv Sena and your alliance partner had also staked a claim to contest the seat. While you may have got the ticket as per the seat-sharing arrangement, do you think upset Sena cadres may dent your prospects?

Ans: There is no infighting in the alliance. When seat-sharing talks take place, every party has a right to stake its claim on a seat they feel they are strong. So, it was natural for both the BJP and Sena to stake a claim on this Raigad seat. If you see, over the past 25 years, the Sena-BJP alliance and Congress alliance contested polls from the Konkan belt so both sides have their elected representatives in the Assembly. The Shiv Sena is now with us and there is no discontent or confusion among the Sena and BJP cadre.

Are you facing any challenges during campaigning because it is the first time that you are contesting in the BJP-Sena-NCP alliance?

Ans: All the allied parties are working together and with a zeal that they are the candidates. So I am pretty confident that the result would be in our favor. It is the first time that I am contesting in an alliance with the BJP and Shiv Sena and for them the party symbol clock is new and for them to ask for votes on the clock is new but they are doing it. The voters of BJP and Sena too will vote for me and there is no doubt about that.

What do you feel about the current political situation of the state after the split into two parties — the NCP and Shiv Sena — and how do you now see your association with BJP?

Ans: We have taken this conscious and democratic decision for the development of the state. Also, it is not that we have taken this decision now, it has been discussed and contemplated since 2014. Since 2014, several discussions have taken place in the higher leadership and core committee of the NCP that we should join the NDA. In 2014, we, in fact, also announced our outside support to the Devendra Fadnavis-led BJP to form the government in the state (as Sena was not willing).

Similarly, in 2016-17, too, we were almost on the verge of joining the Fadnavis-led state government. Our only condition was that Shiv Sena (then undivided) should not be in the government. But the BJP said that Sena would be there so that did not materialise. In 2019, the same thing was discussed at the party’s higher level. We were asked to discuss this (forming the government) with the BJP and at the same time, some were having a dialogue with the Sena, after which ultimately the MVA (Maha Vikas Aghadi) government was formed led by Uddhav Thackeray.

So you are saying there is nothing wrong in aligning with the BJP, which has a different ideology?

And: Aligning with the BJP is not something wrong. If you observe the country and the state, you will realise that in the past 30 years, there have been several coalition governments. It is not necessary to have all like-minded parties in the government. Sometimes there are differences in the ideologies of the allied parties and we have to accept them for the stability and development of the state and the country. If you see, in our country, coalition governments in the states and the allied parties’ ideologies are different. In this so-called INDIA alliance too, there are 28 parties and all of them do not have the same ideology. In fact there is a contrast in their ideologies. So, there is nothing wrong in joining the BJP government.

We are confident about the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and are marching towards being a developed country. The economy is growing, there is development in the remote areas too… There are drastic changes in the country. So, our decision was a conscious one and very democratic. The people of the state have also accepted it and when the results are announced on June 4, all the NCP candidates will win.

Including Sunetra Pawar from Baramati?

Ans: Of course, that too with a good margin.

You have always garnered minority votes in Raigad and also the anti-Sena, BJP votes. Now that you have joined the BJP-Sena alliance, do you feel a threat of losing the minority votes?

Ans: My secularism has been tested by all the communities and all the religions. Everybody knows my politics and nature. Now if you see, the country led by PM Modi and the state government led by CM Eknath Shinde have introduced many schemes for the minority community. Abolishing Article 370 from Kashmir and bringing CAA doesn’t harm the minority community in the state and the country. All this campaigning was done by the INDI alliance for the election. Nothing else. I don’t feel that because the minority also believes in my secularism and so people from the minority community who were with me for the last forty years, in the 2019 elections and all other elections would continue to remain with me, with the full force in this election too.

Why did you give up on the Satara seat? Any particular reason?

Ans: See, in an alliance we have to make some compromises. They have given us a full-term Rajya Sabha seat. We are happy with our alliance. The BJP has done justice to us. When there is a pre-poll alliance, how many MPs we have currently is considered. Currently, we have only one MP, but now we have got six seats, including the Lakshadweep seat. So the BJP and Sena have honoured our requests. Some things happen in a larger alliance.

The NCP is staking a claim on the Nashik seat which is also being claimed by the Shiv Sena. When will this get resolved?

Ans: This issue will be resolved in a day or two. Nashik, Thane, and Palghar seats will be announced. But yes we are still claiming the Nashik seat. Let’s see what happens.

You just said you will not let any chemical project come to Raigad. But your ally the BJP is keen on bringing the Ratnagiri Petrochemical refinery project to Barsu.

Ans: I will discuss with the BJP about the repercussions of the refinery. Sometimes there could be a green field refinery and we will discuss that in length and come to a certain conclusion. If we are satisfied then we will see it when it comes. It is not that the project is going to start immediately. We are not in a hurry about that right now.

What is your vision and plan for the development of Raigad?

Ans: My vision of development is very blunt and clear. I have been in politics for the past 40 years. I started working in politics from Zilha Parishad, then 25 years as an MLA and the last five years was in Lok Sabha. So, if you see the whole of my political career, I come from a small community but people have accepted me at large. In 2019, I defeated Anant Geete, who was the cabinet minister in the Narendra Modi-led government. So, people have voted for me. This is because my roadmap for the development is very clear.

Also, there is no doubt that the Modi government would make a comeback. So the new government will announce several new schemes and I will bring that to the constituency for development. There would also be some personal development schemes and projects which I would bring. Be it road infrastructure or infrastructure required for tourism that would bring employment opportunities to locals. If you visit Harihareshwar or Shrivardhan you will know how the lives of villagers have changed after tourism development. Tourism development would be one of the sectors would on the agenda along with others.

The youth in Raigad still have to go to other big cities for jobs. Unemployment in Konkan is a big issue. How will you address this issue?

And: There are several industries and schemes that can be brought in here for industrial development but I am very much determined that no chemical-based industry would be brought in here. Automobile-based and service sector-based industries would be preferable for the region so that its environment can be protected and jobs can also be generated. We can also bring tourism-based industries. Likewise, we dream that the youths from the district won’t have to go out in search of the job. I dream that they should learn and earn here only, so such development and infrastructure would be created. Environmental-friendly industries would be set up here. I also promise to the residents of my parliamentary constituency that after five years no youth from the district will go out to work.