SP MP Ram Gopal Yadav: ‘If Modi remains in power, the only reason is the Congress’ | Political Pulse News

Nobody believes the government. The people who witnessed the stampede also think it is a lie. The government has not yet released any figures. Thousands of people have approached the lost-and-found counter and some people connected to my family say around 15,000 people are running from pillar to post to find their near and dear ones.

With the figures that (Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha) Mallikarjun Kharge saab provided in the House, it is possible that the toll is even higher. The government made tall claims but could not manage the situation.

What were these tall claims?

Firstly, they changed the name of the Kumbh. There is no mention of Maha Kumbh in religious scriptures. Kumbh took place every 12 years and Ardh Kumbh every six years. For ages, people have been flocking to Kumbh Melas without any invitation as it is a matter of faith and belief. But this time, the government spent crores on advertisements. Nobody had heard of Amrit Snan before. Nobody had heard of Maha Kumbh before. So much so that one ‘sarkari sadhu’ said those who don’t make it to the Maha Kumbh are anti-nationals.

When you talk like this, you should have made arrangements to manage the crowd. When you invite someone, it is your responsibility to ensure the safety of that person. If the Chief Minister wanted to play host, then it was his responsibility to ensure that people didn’t face any hardships.

The SP-Congress combine performed better than expected in last year’s Lok Sabha polls. But the BJP bounced back in the subsequent bypolls in UP. How are you seeing the Milkipur bypoll?

The BJP did not make a comeback. They did not allow people to vote. Could the BJP have ever won a (Muslim-dominated) seat like Kundarki? Similarly, in Milkipur, they have started voter suppression. Yadavs and Muslims are not being given voter slips. Akhilesh Yadav was not allowed to hold a rally, wrong coordinates were provided to his helicopter.

What is the status of the INDIA bloc? Top leaders of the coalition have not met since the Lok Sabha elections …

It had been decided during the Lok Sabha elections that in every state INDIA partners would support the party best placed to defeat the BJP. For instance, we are supporting the AAP in Delhi but that does not mean we are against the Congress.

In Haryana, the Congress seemed to be in a position to defeat the BJP but why did none of the INDIA bloc parties openly support it like they have backed the AAP in Delhi?

The AAP sought five seats from the Congress in Haryana and we were told we would be given one. While they agreed upon the seat, that very evening they fielded Vinesh Phogat. What can we do if the Congress does not learn its lessons? Had there been a joint Akhilesh-Rahul campaign, they would have won 20 seats but ended up with just six.

Do you think the Opposition has lost its momentum after reducing the BJP to 240 seats in the Lok Sabha polls?

What can I say? Congress ki arrogance nahi hoti, toh desh ki yeh stithi thodi hoti (had the Congress not been arrogant, would the country’s condition have been how it is now)?

In Bihar, Tejashwi (Prasad Yadav) would have become CM in 2020 itself but they (Congress) did not agree. They fought 70 seats and won just 19 while the RJD and other alliance partners had a strike rate of 53-54%. Had Tejashwi been CM, the Opposition would have won 30 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar and Modi would not have become PM. They do not understand, I wonder who their advisors are.

We all want the Congress to win seats in states where they are strong … In Himachal Pradesh, they are in government but they got zero seats. In Chhattisgarh, where they were in power, they got nothing. Despite being in power in Telangana and Karnataka, the BJP performed better than them. Toh jo Modiji hat nahin paaye, uske karan sirf Congress hai (The Congress is the only reason why Modi ji has not been defeated). Every other (INDIA bloc) party except the RJD performed well.

What should the Congress do as the largest Opposition party?

The elder in the house has more responsibility. But they don’t even talk. During the Haryana elections, I asked Akhilesh if we got any seats. He said, ‘They are not even talking.’ If they stake claim to form the government tomorrow, they cannot do without us but they do not talk to the leader of a party that has 37 MPs.

In UP, they have nothing but we gave them seats as we did not want them to allege we do not want to defeat the BJP. They will not be able to open their account in the Assembly polls if we do not support them.

In Delhi, where they do not have even a single seat, they should have spoken to the AAP and asked for eight to 10 seats. What are they doing now? Things that the BJP is not saying about Kejriwal, Rahul Gandhi is. It sends the wrong message that the BJP and Congress speak the same language. If the BJP wins Delhi, the coming times will show how it adversely affects the Opposition.

What will you say if the Congress approaches you for seat sharing for the 2027 UP Assembly polls?

If we think their candidate can win, we will give them the seat.

Is there no existing seat-sharing formula based on what the Congress won in the Lok Sabha polls?

What formula? They did not even have candidates in some seats.

There is a demand for West Bengal CM and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee to be made the leader of the INDIA bloc. Will the leadership be decided after the Delhi polls?

We have not got the success we expected under the Congress’s leadership. In such a situation, those who have consistently performed better are from the south (DMK) and Mamata. In my view, the situation may improve if she is made the leader.

Will the Congress agree?

That is the problem. They do not consider what is at stake.