''People Are In Alliance With PM Modi'' Says Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya

Disparaging the ongoing Opposition's bids to stitch an anti-BJP alliance ahead of the Lok Sabha polls next year, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on Sunday, November 11 said it was going to be futile as the people of the country have already forged an alliance with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

''If the BJP keeps on doing good works, it would keep forming governments both in the Centre and states for the next 50 years'', Maurya told PTI here in an exclusive interview. The UP Dy CM claimed the Opposition bid for unity would fail as it was devoid of 'neeti' (policy), 'neta' (leader) and 'netritiva' (leadership).

"Various opposition parties may stitch an alliance among themselves, but the people of the country have already forged an alliance with Prime Minister Narendra Modi," Maurya told PTI here in an exclusive interview.

"The people of the country are with the BJP. Hence, any plan, scheme or conspiracy (by the Opposition) will not yield success to them," the Dy CM added.

Asked to comment on a possible SP-BSP pact in the state ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Maurya said, "Even if they (BSP and SP) may not want it, we want them to forge an alliance. The people of the state will show their strength. With the hard work of our party workers and the blessings of the people, we will emerge victorious."

Terming the Opposition's unity bids as "swaarth ka gathbandhan (a greed-driven alliance)", Maurya said, "I do not think a 'mahagathbadhan' (grand alliance) neither having a prime ministerial candidate nor 'neeti' (policy) or 'neta' (leader) will be able to challenging Prime Minister Modi's leadership."

Maurya made the remarks in the wake of Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav's recent statement that an alliance between his party and the BSP before the Lok Sabha polls was "very likely" and would be firmed up after the upcoming assembly polls in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, and Mizoram.

The Deputy CM asserted that the BJP's "2019 win will be bigger than that of its 2014 victory". Maurya based his optimism together on the "hard works done by party president Amit Shah as well as those of the party's booth-level workers." 

Additionally, he said, "the people from different sections of the society, be it the poor, backward, downtrodden, Dalits or oppressed, all have reposed their faith in Prime Minister Modi".

Explaining the party's failure to retain its various Lok Sabha seats won in the 2014 elections during the subsequent bypolls, Maurya explained that victory is often ensured in bypolls by misusing the official machinery which the BJP never resorts to.

Moreover, he said, voter turn out during bypolls happens to be lower than that during the general elections and that is why the BJP could not emerge victoriously.

"But, the picture will change during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and the people will re-elect Modiji as PM," he said.

Maurya said, "I often say 100 mein 60 hamara hai, baaki mein batwara hai (60 per cent is our vote share, rest of the chunk is for others to share)."

Commenting on the upcoming assembly elections in five states including Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh, Maurya said, "Wherever the BJP comes to power, it retains it on the basis of its hard work and performance."

"Doubts about the BJP forming government were also raised during the Gujarat assembly elections, but eventually the BJP formed the government. The BJP is going to form its government in at least three states - MP, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan," he said.

"I believe if we keep doing good work, we will keep forming governments both in the Centre and states for the next 50 years," the Dy CM said