‘Gandhi family is India’s Gabbar Singh; in Bihar, it is Lalu Prasad’s family’: Samrat Choudhary

Interview/ Samrat Choudhary, deputy chief minister, Bihar

AMONG THE CURRENT breed of BJP leaders in Bihar, Samrat Choudhary stands the tallest. Quite literally as well—he is 6’4”. As deputy chief minister, Choudhary is the OBC face of the party in the state and is likely to lead the chief minister’s race when the BJP gets an opportunity to anoint its own. His father Shakuni Choudhary was MLA six times, primarily from the RJD, with stints in the Congress and the Samata Party. His mother Parvati Devi was also an MLA. Choudhary, too, was with the RJD before joining the BJP in 2017. He served as BJP state chief and also as leader of opposition. Though a member of the legislative council, he will be contesting from Tarapur, his family pocket borough. Excerpts from an interview:

Q/ Every election feels like a challenge. How do you assess this one?

For the past 35 years, Bihar’s politics has revolved around social justice and development, ever since Lalu Prasad’s rise. He kept talking about social justice but never delivered it. Lalu ji only builds perceptions. He takes credit for the Mandal Commission, but the credit really goes to (former prime minister) V.P. Singh and the BJP, which had 84 MPs then and supported it in Delhi. The BJP has always believed that we are both ‘Mandalwadi’ and ‘Kamandalwadi’—we uphold social justice and spirituality together. It is the NDA’s duty to make both India and Bihar strong and prosperous.

Q/ What are your main issues this election?

Only development. Development and delivery. We have worked on it, delivered it and fulfilled people’s basic needs. That is our focus.

Q/ You are contesting polls after 2010. The BJP has given you a big responsibility.

I won five straight elections, and this is my sixth. I won even when Lalu’s family could not open their account. Lalu is a big leader, but he has never been able to bring in votes. I have done the groundwork. He is incapable of getting votes. He simply cannot. Today, the NDA is working under the leadership of Nitish Kumar and Narendra Modi. We will get full majority, our best result yet.

Q/ There has long been talk that the BJP wants its own chief minister in Bihar, and your name is often mentioned.

The BJP and NDA’s chief minister is Nitish Kumar. Lalu ji was made chief minister in 1990 and then betrayed the mandate. His character kept changing. He did not develop Bihar, he looted it. First the fodder scam, then bitumen, then land-for-jobs scam. His character kept degrading and people kept shifting to the NDA.

Q/ Nitish Kumar is projected as the CM face again, but your opponents say that might change after the polls.

Spreading doubt is the opposition’s job. There is no vacancy for chief minister here. Nitish is, was and will remain chief minister.

Q/ The opposition grand alliance has announced Tejashwi Yadav as its CM face.

Since 2010, their decline has been constant. People know by now that changing names or candidates doesn’t change reality. The question is character and ideology. Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee gave an ideology that Modi ji has fulfilled after 70 years (like removing Article 370). Lalu’s ideology, on the other hand, is corruption. He is convicted in several cases, in lower courts, High Court and even the Supreme Court. And I appeal to the youth to ask Tejashwi and Lalu one simple question: what is the formula to become a millionaire at the age of 1.5 years?

Q/ The SIR issue is in the news. Rahul Gandhi and other INDIA bloc leaders are campaigning heavily against it.

You have travelled across Bihar—tell me if one person said his or her vote was affected because of that. Democracy means government chosen by the people. Today, Modi ji and Nitish ji are elected by the people. Democracy was in danger when Indira Gandhi imposed Emergency. Lalu was jailed then. His daughter was born in prison, and he named her Misa after the law under which he was jailed. Journalists, actors, politicians—lakhs of people were imprisoned. That was when democracy and the Constitution were in danger. Rahul Gandhi should be asked: your grandmother ruled for 13 years, your father was prime minister, your great-grandfather ruled for 17 years, and your mother was the most powerful person for a decade. If the country is still poor, who is responsible? You. The Gandhi family is India’s Gabbar Singh; in Bihar, that title belongs to Lalu Prasad’s family.

Q/ BJP-ruled states are often praised for fiscal management. You are the state finance minister. Before the polls, your government announced several schemes for women and youth. How sustainable is Bihar’s revenue generation?

The double-engine government has made it possible. Bihar’s total budget is Rs3.17 lakh crore. Of that, around Rs70,000 crore comes from the state’s own revenue, while the rest, over Rs2 lakh crore, is supported by Modi ji’s Central government through assistance and loans. All the schemes have been accommodated within the budget itself through a supplementary budget, without stressing the state’s finances.

Q/ Tejashwi Yadav claims every family will get a government job and that they have a blueprint ready.

It is a blueprint to win elections, nothing else. These are the same people who once brought ‘red prints’ of violence and lawlessness. The people of Bihar gave Lalu 15 years, he provided barely 94,000 jobs. Nitish Kumar, on the other hand, gave 18.5 lakh jobs, 20 times more. Now they are promising 2.7 crore jobs. Where will the money come from? It would take Rs12 lakh crore. They are talking of giving Rs30,000 to Jeevika didi—that is Rs5 lakh crore. Another 17 lakh crore for other schemes. It is propaganda, deception. The public knows this is to loot again.

Q/ Unemployment has always been a key issue in the state.

It used to be 11 per cent, but migration has dropped drastically. Only about 2 per cent of workers migrate now. We are identifying those still going out and will ensure they get employment here.

Q/ Prashant Kishor has emerged as an alternative, saying if he cannot be king, he will be kingmaker. He has made some serious allegations against you.

Let him prove even one allegation. If he can, I will retire from politics. This is Modi and Nitish’s team where clean politics is the mainstay. These people don’t even have the courage to file complaints. No documents, no evidence. Every election brings small parties: BSP, AIMIM and others. Around 200 parties are contesting this time. But the real fight is only between two sides: NDA and the grand alliance. Lalu’s side has some votes. They will fight hard but lose badly.

Q/ The NDA has ruled Bihar for 20 years, and Modi has been prime minister for 11 years. If you return to power, what can people expect in the next five years?

I guarantee that Biharis will no longer need to migrate. Till now, we were providing basic amenities; we will now build an industrial network across the state. When Lalu ji left, industry’s share in Bihar’s GDP was negative. Today, it is 23 per cent. Our target is to raise it to 50 per cent, to create a developed Bihar where people can become prosperous within the state itself.