Prahlad Patel is one of the three Union ministers the BJP has fielded in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections apart from Narendra Singh Tomar and Faggan Singh Kulaste. This is seen as a move that has blown the field wide open for the choice of chief minister if the BJP returns to power. In a wide-ranging interview with The Indian Express, Patel talks about the party’s strategy, Kamal Nath’s statement on Rajiv Gandhi’s role in opening the doors of the Ayodhya Ram temple, and the Opposition’s caste census demand. Excerpts: * You say you are 100% sure the BJP will form a government. What gives you this confidence? We have corrected the mistakes we had made in the last elections (2018). This time, we have introduced a number of welfare programmes for the poor and other sections of society. Our government at the Centre has even completed 70% of the Jal Jeevan Mission programmes. People compare us with the Kamal Nath-government. Despite the money that had come, his government had used just 2.5% of it to implement projects. * But he had only 18 months. Even then, 2.5% in 18 months is very poor. When Shivraj Singh Chouhan returned, he expedited its usage. * People on the ground say the Kamal Nath government did not get enough time to carry out its plans… You can’t say that for a (seasoned) politician like Kamal Nath. He has been in politics for a long time. He was a Cabinet minister. How much time does he need to understand the system? We say Kamal Nath is a thaka hua neta (exhausted leader). He has been state party president for at least three years, but did not call a single meeting of the Congress leaders. During his tenure as CM, he had not held a single meeting with any district administration. He is not a visionary, all he did was to help businessmen. * Many ground reports suggest there is a craving for change in the state. How do you overcome that? Clearly, there is no political leader in the state who is as popular as Shivraj Singh. But it’s true the Congress tried to create a perception that there is a desire for change, or that there is fatigue with the CM. In all five states going to the polls, the BJP’s strength is collective leadership. The Congress tried to break that, but failed. It had announced that it would declare its candidates much ahead of time. Instead, it was the BJP that announced its candidates early. The Congress also expected the BJP leaders to fight against each other, but that did not happen. Now it's the Congress that is facing such troubles. There are deepening conflicts between Congress leaders, as Kamal Nath and Digvijay Singh are unable to stand united. The Congress did not have any positive agenda. All it tried was to destroy the perception about the BJP. Yet, there are no corruption charges against us. The Congress talks so much about the backward castes. But it was the BJP that gave an OBC PM. We have had three OBC CMs in Madhya Pradesh in 20 years, but since Independence, the Congress has had none. They are misleading the people. First, they will try to create a fear among the SC/STs or minorities. But we have a track record of not discriminating against people while implementing government schemes. We are ready to have a debate on development or leadership issues, while the Congress only wants to indulge in a negative discourse. * Is the party considering any changes in the leadership? When we claim that Shivraj Singh Chouhan is today the most popular minister in Madhya Pradesh, do you see the Congress disputing that? So, there is no discussion about leadership change. * Yet, BJP leaders say by fielding senior leaders, the party wanted to send the message that it has a number of CM candidates? Who said that? I do not think anyone from the BJP would say that. It was a Congress campaign. * What was the thought behind fielding three Union ministers? It happened in the past too. Other than me, both Narendra Singh Tomar and Faggan Singh Kulaste were ministers in the state government. Irrespective of who the candidate is — Union ministers, party general secretary or MPs — we all work together. It is natural that our responsibilities keep changing. Our value depends on how each of us performs in the roles given to us. The party has decided that we should be fighting Assembly polls. I had fought Lok Sabha elections from four different constituencies. It makes no difference what role I have now. * You had criticised the BJP recently after it lost a bypoll in Damoh. (After some BJP leaders had alleged that a conspiracy within the party had led to the 2021 Congress victory in Damoh, Patel had said the allegation indicated future challenges for the party in the state.) The BJP takes every suggestion seriously and makes changes accordingly. We have learnt our lessons from 2018 and we have changed accordingly. * So, are you in the run for the CM post? This confusion was created by the Congress, but it has been defused now. Does the Congress have any other leaders besides Kamal Nath and Digvijay Singh? Yes, their sons are there. But the BJP has a battery of leaders who can be CM or other ministers. Their’s is a worn-out leadership with blots on them. We have taken the lead when we announced our strategy of fielding senior leaders. The Congress reaction was below the belt. The Congress graph started falling since then. I have made visits to Chhindwara (Kamal Nath’s constituency) and I can tell you there are villages he has never visited. He has never visited any booth or ward in his constituency. He is in trouble this time, I think. * So if senior leaders including you win your seats, will you give up your Lok Sabha seats? The party will take a call on that. We would get 14-15 days to decide, by when the party will choose who will remain an MLA and who an MP. * Has the party fielded the sitting MPs in tough seats? It’s not like that… Not everyone is in a tough seat. * People say because of the welfare schemes targeting women, women voters who generally remain silent, can be BJP’s strength. Be it at the Centre or in the state, the BJP has three resolves – gareeb kalian (empowerment of the poor), women’s empowerment and our roadmap to make India a developed nation by 2047. Madhya Pradesh has to become the No. 1 state in the country, and this is no mere daydreaming. Be it the schemes initiated by the state government or the Centre — from building toilets and giving gas connections to drinking water connections — they impact women directly. We challenge the Congress to talk about their schemes that have had such an impact on the ground. * These issues will be part of BJP’s campaign in the state as well as the Lok Sabha elections. What are the local issues in Madhya Pradesh? The Congress tried to create the caste issue, but that won’t work. It has no answer for whatever the BJP has already done in this regard. Alongside our CMs and the PM, 27% of our MPs are OBCs, as are 30% of our MLAs across the country. And all of that has happened without reservations. * How did Ram Mandir become a poll issue in Madhya Pradesh? This has come from the Congress side. Kamal Nath ji tried to create a controversy when PM Modi tweeted about attending the Ram Mandir consecration ceremony. He had said that the temple belongs to the country, not the party. But when Kamal Nath ji says that his party’s PM had opened the doors to the temple, he doesn’t mention that his party had also given an affidavit in court that Lord Ram is a myth. They did that on the Ram Janambhoomi and Ram Setu issues as well. * If the BJP wins, will Shivraj Chouhan return as CM? BJP will definitely form the government in the state. As for the CM candidate, that is something the party will decide. No one should speculate.
