Nitin Gadkari too soft a candidate for me: Vilas Muttemwar

Despite being locked in an intense battle with former BJP president Nitin Gadkari, who Congress leaders admit has posed the toughest challenge so far to the Congress in their traditional constituency of Nagpur, seven-term Congress MP Vilas Muttemwar claims that he is up against a "soft candidate" considering his rival's lack of experience in electoral politics. Amidst juggling multiple calls and impromptu visits by supporters and leaders at his Nagpur residence after a grueling padayatra, the former union minister told dna's Dhaval Kulkarni that his clean image and the Dalit-Muslim combination will see him through.

Excerpts:
Your party men say that the Congress is up against its most formidable opponent in Nagpur so far. What's is your take?
Gadkari is contesting the polls for the first time. What kind of tough candidate is he? He is a soft candidate for me! He is not a national leader today. He was unable to become the BJP national president again due to opposition from senior leaders. Hence, it's necessary to see the public perception about him. Contesting the Lok Sabha polls is different from fighting the Rajya Sabha or legislative council elections. Narendra Modi is campaigning on the issue of corruption but what about those like Nitin Gadkari and former Karnataka CM BS Yeddyurappa?

What are your strengths in this battle?
I have a clean image. This is a battle between a candidate who has a clean record for over three decades against one who has charges against him. He has been a MLC for years, but what has he done for the city's development? I have worked for the MIHAN project, the international airport, cargo and logistics hub and SEZ. This will create around 20,000 direct and 30,000 indirect jobs. Today, national and international companies are queuing up to set up units there. I have also worked for the Gosikhurd irrigation project and successfully allocated Rs350 crore for Nagpur's roads during Vilasrao Deshmukh's chief ministerial tenure.

What about the perceived Narendra Modi wave?
It was there, but now he is totally exposed. He has made impossible promises. The Congress has worked well. Modi is making allegations and trying to project himself as a magician who can eradicate problems. The people of the country are alert and will not fall into this trap.

In 2009, some senior Congress leaders had worked against you. Will the situation be different this time?
What were the results in the state assembly polls? (where Congress leaders were defeated). Why did this happen? Grassroots Congress workers who actually go to the people are with me and they matter in the polls and not the leaders. This is my ninth election. I have fought eight polls and won seven. This time, the workers know this is an important election as this will decide the fate and direction of the country and have been galvanised. The polls are being fought on the issue of secularism and communalism. The main base of the Congress has been the Muslims and Dalits who form around 8 lakh of the 18.5 lakh electorate.

In Nagpur, the fight has always been between the Sangh Bhoomi (the RSS headquarters in the city) and Deekshabhoomi (where Dalit icon Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar embraced Buddhism with his followers in 1956). This land has been captivated by Mahatma Gandhi during the freedom movement and Babasaheb's message. The people respect these ideologies.

Q: What about the AAP effect in Nagpur?
A: There will be no impact. (AAP candidate) Anjali Damania is an outsider.