The small sleepy town of Charkhari in Mahoba district is gearing up to become a new tourist destination of Uttar Pradesh. The BJP candidate here, Umar Bharti, has been promising to turn Charkhari into another Khajuraho, her former Parliamentary constituency which is only a few kilometres away.
Though the mood in the area indicates support for Bharti, the mercurial leader who has been given the task to revive the fortunes of the saffron party, is nervous about her prospects as a candidate. As DNA approached her for an interview, the BJP leader fired the first question, asking the correspondent whether Charkhari voters were with her in full strength. Excerpts from the interview
You have been promising moon to the people here, will you be able to keep your promise?
This place (Charkhari) has a great tourist potential. Why cannot this be a tourist destination. It will be my endeavour to make this place a prominent tourist destination. This will not only develop the area, bring facilities but also provide employment and generate revenue.
Your party members are calling you a chief minister candidate. Much of your time goes campaigning for other candidates. How would you justify your candidature from Charkhari? Also how do you see BJP faring this elections?
I am not there in the contest for CM’s post… My job is to see that the BJP does well in this election. Yes, I am spending more time for other candidates, but I have great faith in people of Charkhari. I have been coming to this region since the age of four as a katha-vachak so people know me. I have done a lot of sabhas here and will focus more when elections are held in this region. For the BJP, I am very optimistic of getting a majority;particularly we will be able to swing some indecisive voters in our favour as people are fed up with the BSP’s corrupt raj and SP’s goonda raj. They are looking for clean politics, development and employment. Both Mulayam Singh and Mayawati have glorified criminals.
But what if there is no party gets majority? Will you go with the BSP?
There will be no handshake with anyone. Ya tau Ekadashi ka upwaas hoga ya chhak kar bhandara hoga (Either there will be complete fasting as on Ekadashi, or there will be complete feast). The SP, the BSP and the Congress all are thieves.
Don’t you think the election campaigns between you and Rahul Gandhi are more of a personal attack on each other?
The BJP has always focused on good governance issues and highlighting the bad governance in centre and state. We gave a call against corruption. Personal attacks started coming from Rahul, not me. You can’t expect me to be mute spectator. Rahul should stop humiliating me, making fun of me. This place knows to accept and reject people. People will give a fitting reply to him. But I will end what Rahul has started.
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