New Delhi: Slamming Madhya Pradesh Minister Vijay Shah for his remarks about Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan has said that if Shah would have been in his party, he would have sacked him “for life”.
In an exclusive interview with ThePrint, Paswan also welcomed the Centre’s move to include caste enumeration in the upcoming census, and batted for reservation in the private sector, saying that it is needed because “things are shrinking in the public sector”.
He also said he was more inclined towards state politics. “I am more interested in state politics. My father was very clear and he always wanted to be at the central level and he did so much for my state and his constituency being here but then for me the reason to come into politics was Bihar and Biharis.”
Even as a massive controversy has unfolded over Shah’s comments, the Bharatiya Janata Party has not taken any action against him. “I think every party has their own style of working. I said this very categorically and I’ll repeat, had he been a person from my party, he would have been sacked for a lifetime. But, as an ally, I can just give my comments and remarks on this. Eventually, (it is) for them to take a final call,” Paswan, who holds the food processing portfolio, told ThePrint.
At an event in Mhow or Dr Ambedkar Nagar in Madhya Pradesh, the state’s tribal affairs minister had said that India had taught a lesson to those responsible for the 22 April Pahalgam terror attack by sending “their own sister”, in what was an apparent reference to Colonel Qureshi, who had headed multiple briefings on Operation Sindoor.
The matter is sub-judice and everyone is waiting for a decision to be taken by the court, Paswan further said. “Whatever that’s been said by him, nobody justifies it and nobody stands by it. Even none of the BJP party spokespersons stand by it, and it is shameful. I mean, whatever that has been said by him…God only knows how anyone can even think of correlating such things. You know, I mean, you have to be really off your mind to think of something like this… and to articulate it as well…” he remarked.
“I know it’s the internal matter of the party, you know, whatever call they want to take, on him…but then I have my limitations. Having said that, I think I’ve spoken enough, and I have made my stand very clear,” he added.
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‘Preconceived notions about reservation’
Paswan, an NDA (National Democratic Alliance) ally, has also been pushing for a caste census, and is happy that it is finally being conducted. “Unless you know what the population of a particular caste is, you can’t really do anything for their upliftment…You can’t design policies and agendas,” he said.
“The caste census is important because most of the time, the central government and the state government design policies for their upliftment so that they can join the mainstream, but they need to have data with them. Neither the state nor central government have had data related to this. The last time we had this exercise was almost over 100 years back in 1931.”
The LJP (Ram Vilas) president said that in the absence of such data, policies are devised on the basis of assumptions—which is detrimental to inclusive politics.
“I don’t understand… When you talk about reservation, (one) outrightly rejects the talent in them. I don’t understand why this comes with a preconceived notion that if you are there because of reservation, you are not talented enough. I also contest from a reserved seat only, so am I not talented enough to head a ministry like this, which is so important?” he argued.
“I think these are all preconceived notions, you know, which suit a lot of leaders and political parties for their political narrative. But the fact is that today also, we do see examples, where a Dalit is not allowed to ride a horse or to take out a baarat (wedding procession) on a horse… There’s a Dalit family, which has not been allowed to enter a mandir only because of its caste.”
He added that the caste-based discrimination, which still exists in the society, can “fade away only when every section of the society is represented in every sector”.
Bihar elections
Paswan expressed confidence with respect to the upcoming Bihar assembly elections, saying that if his party wanted him to play a bigger role in the state, he would be ready to contest the polls.
He also had words of praise for consultant-turned-politician and Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor.
“He’s got his own style of working and his own thought process…right, wrong, debatable. But then, he’s also coming up with some out-of-the-box ideas. He’s not following the typical conservative style of politics, and I’m somebody who can’t relate to the conservative style of politics, where it’s all about casteism and communalism and stuff. I don’t believe in these things,” he said.
“Anybody who talks on the broader lines of development, I really see myself connecting with that person, and that’s the reason why, on the thinking process, I think we do connect.”
However, he asserted that his “devotion” to Prime Minister Narendra Modi is supreme, and that he would continue to be with the NDA.
“When I say that the party needs to take this call, what I really mean is that the party needs to analyse and evaluate whether my contesting a state election is of any help to the party or the alliance, or not. If they come back with the feedback after their survey…if it helps my party, if it helps my ally partners, definitely, I would love to contest Bihar assembly election 2025,” he added.
Lauding the efforts of the Modi government with respect to Operation Sindoor, Paswan said that it shows the willpower of the leadership of the country.
“We have seen attacks previously in our country during the UPA regime…when the terrorists could even manage to enter the financial hub of our country, and still nothing was done. But today, we have a strong leadership that knows how to give it back and that definitely increases the belief of a citizen in the Prime Minister,” he said.
(Edited by Mannat Chugh)
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