Many were surprised by Chandrakant R. Patil’s appointment as president of Gujarat BJP. The three-time Lok Sabha member is believed to have been handpicked by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Patil, 65, is the first non-Gujarati to assume the post. He, however, calls himself a Gujarati, and it seems few can disagree. He won from the Navsari Lok Sabha seat in 2019 by a margin of 6.89 lakh votes.
The Congress has been highlighting an old issue in which Patil was suspended as a police constable for his alleged proximity to bootleggers. But he is undeterred, and is meeting party functionaries and travelling to different regions. In an exclusive interview, Patil talks about his new responsibility. Excerpts:
Q/What are your priorities?
A/To further strengthen the Gujarat state unit’s organisation, which is already strong, make the model acceptable and ensure that it is copied and discussed in all states like the Gujarat development model. The organisation that can win maximum number of elections, seats with the maximum margin, and take policies of the state government to the masses, and can be called the best organisation.
If you win, you form a government, make leaders, enable masses to get the fruits of various schemes and based on it you again face an election. This is a cycle; you cannot break it.
Q/What are the challenges before you and the BJP in Gujarat?
A/I have been lucky that I have got a responsibility that does not have a challenge. The party’s organisation has the strength to face any challenge. All the units of the party are like gold; they only have to be given shape so that they look even better.
Q/What are your goals as the state party president?
A/The only aim is to win 150 seats in the 2022 assembly elections. I cannot disclose how I plan to do this.
Q/You recently said that the BJP should not rely on those who had come from the Congress to win elections.
A/If BJP workers do not want people from the Congress or other parties to come to the BJP, it is their responsibility to ensure the victory of a candidate. If that happens, Congressmen will not have a reason to join the BJP. There will not be a reason to bring them in. I am confident that in the days to come we will create such a situation.
Q/Is the Congress a challenge for you in Gujarat?
A/Not at all. Not only in Gujarat, it is not a challenge in the country.
Q/What about Hardik Patel, who was recently appointed working president of Gujarat Congress?
A/In the past, he has not helped the Congress win a single seat. In Surat, he did make efforts and said they would win eight to 10 assembly seats. The Congress did not win a single seat and the margin of the BJP increased. We, in fact, benefited because of Patel.
Q/You are tagged as the first non-Gujarati to become state BJP president. How will you get rid of that tag?
A/I have been in Gujarat all my life. Gujarat and Maharashtra were one when I was born. Just on the basis of the surname how can you call someone non-Gujarati? I am a Gujarati. When you do not get any issue to talk about a person, you raise such issues. Look at the merit. I won the Lok Sabha election with the highest margin in the country. Had this been an issue, I would not have won. The Congress president is from Italy. She is not even an Indian. But if C.R. Patil is made Gujarat BJP president, you have a problem. They fear that I will finish them.
Q/Your appointment came as a surprise to many.
A/There has been a mindset that the person should be of a particular caste and from a particular area. The media also thinks on those lines. For them it is a surprise. The BJP gives responsibilities to the workers and I have been a party worker for 30 years. The way partymen from different regions are coming and greeting me shows that they have faith that I will do something new.
Q/Your past as a police constable is being highlighted after your appointment.
A/The way I am being portrayed reflects their fear. They should talk about my electoral fights. They blabber when they do not have any concrete issues to raise.
Q/How will you coordinate with the state government? There are rumours that some ministers do not listen to party workers.
A/The ministers have worked in the party’s organisational structure for years. They do know the problems of the organisation. We also understand the problems of the state government. We understand that every demand cannot be fulfilled. In such circumstances, one needs to chalk out a common minimum programme and problems of the masses should be resolved.
Q/Do you intend to give less prominence to those who have come from other parties?
A/When a person resigns from one party, it is apparent that he has had problems in that party and does not see a political future there. He does not join the BJP as a Congressman. He comes as a neutral person. And if he is given a ticket, he has to prove his capabilities by winning the election.
Q/There has been discontent within the BJP. Partymen want original BJP leaders to get tickets.
A/Only those with the BJP are being given tickets and it will be so in the future also. The newcomers have become BJP workers.