Dr Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, the President at Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been in West Bengal for the last few months, actively participating in intellectual meets, discussions and leading strategic meets as well. In a detailed interview with the MyIndMakers, Dr Sahasrabuddhe talks about the aspirations and hopes of Bengalis on BJP in changing the tide of the state across all fronts.

Time for ‘Asol Poriborton’

‘Asol Poriborton’ aka ‘the real change’ is the main tagline for the BJP in Bengal in the current month long elections, unfolding in eight phases. This time there are high expectations from the saffron outfit against the TMC, carrying on their impressive performance in the Lok Sabha Elections 2019.  “ The history of the BJP is there as well as the history of West Bengal is also there for everyone to see – the last five decades have witnessed how the province has been ruled by the incompetent parties, first by the CPM with a weird and obsolete ideology.  And then Mamata Banerjee came to power with the anti-incumbent wave, walked along the same path with the same lumpen elements, adding no value to her decade long tenure at power,” Dr Sahasrabuddhe told MyIndMakers in an interview.

Commitment to the state and the people

Dr Sahasrabuddhe has reiterated to the BJP’s commitment to the needs of the state. He categorically mentioned, “The BJP has always given due importance to the charter of commitments, the ‘sankalp patra’, which is created by a crowdsourcing mechanism to reflect and fulfil the popular aspirations of the state. All these years, wherever in power, the BJP has created a mechanism where the party members who are elected to power are always answerable and accountable to the party and the promises made in the manifesto. The BJP with a credible track record always calls for ‘politics of performances’, being the only political party in India to evaluate its performance periodically, is committed to the ‘asol poriborton’ of the state if it is elected to power in Bengal”.

No CM face? No problem!

Ever since the BJP started campaigning in Bengal, there have been speculations regarding the chief ministerial candidate from the saffron outfit. The Opposition parties have pointed out that the BJP is probably not confident enough to name the same. According to Dr Sahasrabuddhe, it has been a conscious strategic decision to wait till the results of the elections. “If you look at Uttar Pradesh or Maharashtra, we didn’t announce the name of the chief minister prior to the elections. Both Yogi Adityanath and Devendra Fadnavis were selected much later. The models have been different from one state to another suiting the needs and state aspirations. Once we come to power in Bengal our Parliamentary Board will take a conscious call on the leadership and mechanism to follow in the state,” added Dr Vinay Sahasrabuddhe.                               

Bengal & Cultural Revolution

The communists in Bengal boast of the left inclined Bengali intelligentsia. Throughout the election campaign, the BJP has faced stiff opposition from the left liberals. Added to the left narrative, the ruling TMC has propagated the ‘outsider’ theory to distract popular call for change in regime. In this regard, The BJP faces a tough and yet not an impossible task to usher in a cultural revolution. In this regard, Dr Vinay Sahasrabuddhe rightly pointed out, “Mamata Banerjee and her party cannot claim any ideological space in Bengal. She wanted the grass-root level Congress workers in the fore. In a way she rebelled against the ruling dynasty of the political party. People saw a point in it and they have the mandate. But she didn’t bring any ideological shift. After all, anti-leftism doesn’t make any difference in the ideological space unless it creates a difference in the way ‘governance’ is administered. Whether it is cultural nationalism, accepting multiple identity issues or emphasis on social unity and integration – The BJP has been clear and transparent with its own viewpoint and certainly doesn’t endorse narrow provincial idea of ‘bohiragato’ or outsider.”

Vote for the future of the state

Dr Sahasrabuddhe highlighted that rising above partisan consideration, winning Bengal or rather removing the elements of bad governance, corruption and vote-bank politics from Bengal polity, is important not only for Bengal but also for the interest of the country. He signed off saying, “BJP is giving utmost importance to election in Bengal and I urge to our friends, brothers and sisters of Bengal to vote without any fear. They should vote rationally with a call of their conscience and also vote for the future of the aspirational young population in Bengal. No other party other than the BJP is the right alternative to Didi and her TMC.”

The results of West Bengal legislative election will be declared on May 2, 2021.

Image provided by the interviewer.