Interview/ Bansuri Swaraj, BJP candidate, New Delhi
Bansuri Swaraj, daughter of former Union minister and BJP leader Sushma Swaraj, is making her political debut from the New Delhi Lok Sabha constituency. The 40-year-old lawyer’s candidature has brought freshness to the BJP’s campaign in the national capital. In an interaction with THE WEEK at her Hailey Road office, Swaraj said her campaign was very positive and that the BJP had a report card of the past 10 years to show. Excerpts:
Q/ Comparisons with your mother must be happening. What have you learned from her?
A/ It is not that I have picked up something politically from her, because I was never the daughter of Sushma Swaraj, the politician. I was always the daughter of Sushma Swaraj, the mother. But I definitely consider that I am a distillation of her values as she was the architect of my personality in some ways. One thing that she taught me is to be fearless, to give your best and then leave the rest to God without worrying about the results.
Q/ The Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress have come together this time. How do you look at this challenge?
A/ Arvind Kejriwal had sworn on his children that he would never form an alliance with the Congress. He has done a U-turn, which has eroded his credibility. Second, the alliance is actually hinged on selfish political interests. The AAP was actually chosen on an anti-corruption plank, but today, it is entrenched in corruption. The voter of Delhi is intelligent and, therefore, I do not see the alliance as a challenge.
Q/ Is this a contest between the Modi guarantee and the opposition guarantees?
A/ Respectfully, it is not. Narendra Modi is the epitome of promises fulfilled. Whatever was enunciated in the manifesto has been fulfilled. Whether it is the abrogation of Article 370, bringing the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, the women's reservation bill or the construction of the Ram Temple, he has fulfilled his promises. Modi’s guarantee and the vision of Viksit Bharat resonate with the electorate. When you talk about the opposition, those are not guarantees, but mere statements.
Q/ Kejriwal is in jail and he has refused to resign. Is it affecting the governance of Delhi?
A/ Kejriwal's insistence on running the government from jail is certainly detrimental to the people of Delhi. I do not understand why he is clinging to power. When the oath of office is taken, an oath of confidentiality is also taken. But when you are in jail, no document can be passed across to you until the prison authorities have seen it. So Kejriwal is compromising on this particular oath. I want to ask, is there a dearth of talent in the AAP? Of the 60 [odd] MLAs, is there not a single one who is competent enough to discharge the duties of the chief minister? Kejriwal ought to resign on moral grounds. I also want to ask if it is morally right to run the government from jail after taking resignations from Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain.
Q/ How do you respond to accusations that the BJP is carrying out political vendetta and is misusing investigating agencies?
A/ Recently there was a judgment by the Delhi High Court on a petition filed by Kejriwal. This petition asked the court to adjudicate whether his arrest was legal, which meant that he wanted the courts to go into the nitty-gritty of the evidence. The courts perused the evidence in its entirety and deemed that Kejriwal was involved in his personal capacity as the convener of the AAP. He was involved in taking kickbacks worth crores and that money was misused for party activities. The court held that his arrest was legal. The BJP has no role regarding the politicisation of investigating agencies.