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Journalism of Courage
A former MLA and the son of Chhattisgarh’s first Chief Minister Ajit Jogi, Amit Jogi leads the Janta Congress Chhattisgarh-Jogi (JCC-J) that his father had carved out of the Congress in 2016. The JCC-J won five seats in the 2018 Assembly polls, eating into the Congress’s share of votes and seats. After the death of two of their MLAs, including Ajit, and the desertion of two more legislators, Amit tells The Indian Express about his plans to keep the party afloat in the coming Assembly elections.
Excerpts:
How hard will it be to get votes in the absence of your father?
I began my campaign on August 29 and covered 35 Vidhan Sabha seats so far (out of a total of 90). I am getting the same love and affection from the people that my father got. Those who thought that our party was orphaned since my father is no more now realise that Jogi zinda hai (Jogi is alive). He is alive in their hearts.
Will you and your mother, Dr Renu Jogi, contest the polls?
Two years ago, she had a health problem. But now she is back to normal. For the last month, she has been campaigning. She should contest and so will I.
How many seats will you contest?
My primary aim is to ensure that non-BJP and non-Congress votes do not get divided. So I will have a dialogue with some regional parties. But we are ready to contest all 90 seats. Last time we made two big mistakes. One was that we allied with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) — there can be no ideological basis between national and regional parties. Our second mistake was that we announced our candidates before the BJP and the Congress announced theirs. The two parties denied tickets to a lot of good people and we could have chosen from them.
What will be your primary focus if voted to power?
Poverty. About 40% of the people here live in extreme poverty. The per capita income of neighbouring Telangana (Rs 3.08 lakh at current prices), which was formed in 2014, is much better than Chhattisgarh (Rs 1.33 lakh at current prices), which was formed in 2000. This is because Telangana has a regional party in power whereas for over 20 years Chhattisgarh has been ruled by the BJP and the Congress. They see Chhattisgarh and see commission. I see a mission and a vision, which is the difference. Also, 95% of jobs in government, as well as private jobs, will be reserved for sons of the soil. I will also try to make a railway line from Kumhari (in Durg) to Konta (in Sukma) along the highway.
Why will people choose you over the Congress or the BJP?
Can people speak to Modi ji or Rahul ji every day? Nobody has the connection our family has with the people here. The remote control of these parties is in Delhi but our high command is the people of Chhattisgarh. Ours is the first party in India that is not releasing a manifesto but an affidavit with 10 promises. I will take these 10 measures to end poverty and if I don’t, every voter has the legal right to sue me in court and get me imprisoned for two years.
There are more women voters than men in Chhattisgarh. What will you do for them?
Women’s security will be the top priority. Alcohol is the main reason behind crimes against women. We will shut all liquor shops and open dairy shops. Every girl child will get a bank account with Rs 1 lakh fixed deposit. Every woman getting married will get Rs 1 lakh to economically empower them. I will waive the debts of all women’s self-help groups. I will give a Rs 5 lakh grant to both men and women to start their businesses.
How many tickets will women get?
I will try to field a maximum number of women candidates, but can’t make any commitment right now because, in each seat, the only factor we are considering is winnability. But in the long term, my priority is MYK i.e. Mahila, Yuva, and Kisan (Women, Youth and Farmers).
