Modi will not be the PM after 2024 elections, says Sanjay Raut

No, I did not say BJP will stop existing. What I wanted to point out is that BJP had announced it wanted to make the country free of Congress. However, BJP today is teeming with Congress men and women. BJP has over 300 MPs currently, with only 120 from BJP, while the remaining are from Congress. If the latter decide to return to Congress, the BJP will be back to its pathetic self. It can’t survive on its own strength and needs crutches, and remember these crutches are temporary.

So you’re saying BJP is heading for trouble and will have to fight for survival ?

This particular BJP is not the original BJP. It has no ideology. It is a manufactured BJP that has roped in leaders from other parties. BJP, MPs, leaders do not represent the entire nation. Pandit Nehru was a national leader, Indira Gandhi was the national leader, Rajiv Gandhi was national leader but PM Modi and Amit Shah are not national leaders. They want to divide the people and rule the country.

In the ensuing elections, do you think BJP will cross the 400-seat margin that it is claiming ?

I am surprised they are not claiming 800 seats! BJP will not cross 220 seats in 2024. Where will they get the seats from? The PM thinks he is a vishwa guru, but he does not have wider acceptability among masses. In Maharashtra, BJP split up parties to win power. In Bihar, they did the same. In the South, BJP does not exist. In Punjab, Delhi and Jharkhand it has no chance. In Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, Congress is a force to reckon with. In the North-East too, BJP is struggling. Only in Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat is BJP better placed. Even in these two states if BJP gets all seats and some in Chhattisgarh, it will still not cross the 220 seat mark.

If you say BJP won’t cross the 220 seat mark, where do you place INDIA bloc which is currently fragmented

As of now, it’s a tough fight between BJP and INDIA bloc. But the latter is rapidly making progress and getting close to the hearts of people. BJP knows it will not cross 220 mark, and that is why it is working overtime to break parties. It split Sena, NCP, then took away Nitish Kumar, and it has even roped in Ashok Chavan in Maharashtra. The desperation is clear. If it was not so desperate to win, it would not have resorted to cheap and undemocratic tactics.

Why did Rahul Gandhi not stop Nitish Kumar from joining hands with BJP ?

We didn’t stop him because we knew he would ditch us. Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee had told us not to trust him which is why we didn’t appoint him convenor of INDIA bloc. Nitish will pay a heavy price in elections. His party wont get a single seat in Bihar. It will be Tejaswi Yadav all over Bihar who will lead INDIA bloc from the front.

What do you think of Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra ?

Rahul Gandhi’s yatra is creating an awakening among masses. The kind of response the yatra is getting even in its second phase shows that Rahul has wider acceptability. People are tired of liars and are looking for an alternative. And they believe in Rahul Gandhi’s honest and straightforward approach.

In Maharashtra, Sena and Congress leaders are making a beeline for the BJP. You are not able to contain the exodus

All these leaders chose to ditch the party which gave them name and fame. They turned out to be highly untrustworthy. Even Ashok Chavan is in the same category. A day before he quit Congress, he was fighting for more LS seats for Congress. He left the next day, his mask was off in a few hours.

Has Sena (UBT) become a secular party ?

Sena’s Hindutva means backing each and every individual of this country. We don’t believe in dividing people and ruling them. Balasaheb Thackeray’s Hindutva was one which had a scientific bent of mind. Veer Savarkar believed in this kind of progressive Hindutva which is why we admire him. We don’t believe in the Hindutva which believed in burning alive activists like Graham Staines and his two sons in Orissa’s jungle. And that is why we are part of INDIA bloc which wants to work for every Indian.

Is RSS still dictating BJP plans and policies ?

BJP has overpowered RSS. BJP is running its own script and does not care much for RSS. It, however, keeps RSS in good humour to avoid any backlash. We have always admired work done by RSS, but the new generation of RSS has however moved away from its original ideology.

You have repeatedly said Eknath Shinde will lose power. Your words didn’t come true

40 Sena MLAs who left with Eknath Shinde should have been disqualified. But they were not, because all government agencies are bending backwards to please BJP, thereby trampling upon the Constitution. Assembly Speaker Rahul Narvekar who himself changed five parties can’t be expected to deliver a fair judgement. He did just that. We are confident the Supreme Court will do justice.

How is MVA placed in Maharashtra ?

Maha Vikas Aghadi is a united force. We will win more than 90 per cent LS seats. There is no disagreement among us over seat-sharing. And whatever the disagreements, we will sort them out. People are fed up with Mahayuti and its dirty politics.

Does MVA trust Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi led by Prakash Ambedkar, and is MVA planning to field him from the Pune seat ?

VBA is an integral part of MVA. After it joined hands with us, MVA has been further strengthened. If Prakash Ambedkar seeks to contest from Pune, we will think about it.

How do you assess the Supriya Sule versus Sunetra Pawar contest in Baramati ?

It will be a tough one for sure. But given the rapport that Sharad Pawar enjoys with people of Baramati, I think ultimately Supriya Sule will win by a margin of two lakh votes. Ajit Pawar’s image has taken a beating after he deserted the party Sharad Pawar founded with his blood and sweat. Ajit Pawar has shot himself in the foot.