'Caste factor can't be ignored'

Archana Srivastava / TNN / Mar 15, 2007, 14:59 IST

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An interview with Naresh Agerwal, Mulayam Singh Yadav's trouble-shooter.

Minister for transport Naresh Agarwal is known for his earthy statements. A grass-roots politician, he is also chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav’s trouble-shooter. Deft at handling the media and fending awkward questions, Aggarwal is safely looked upon as a saviour in the event of any other party leader making a faux pas on vital issues (remember Nithari and Shivpal’s uttering ‘chhoti-moti ghatna hoti rehti hain’).He talks to TOI about the anti-incumbency factor against the Samajwadi Party and other poll related issues.
Q: Will the anti-incumbency factor weigh against your government especially in the light of the Punjab and Uttrakhand poll results?
A: Anti-incumbency is not much of an issue as this election will be contested on the achievements of the government. Unlike Punjab and Uttrakhand which are not so political in nature, Uttar Pradesh is far more politically alive. The government has worked for the upliftment of all sections of society and the results are there for all to see. The question of incumbency ceases to exist in the light of this fact.
Q: Is the SP pursuing caste-based politics?

A: Caste-based voting is an issue which cannot be ignored in UP but having said that it would be wrong to say that we are pursuing casteist policies. Caste politics was started by the Congress except that it pursued it behind closed doors. I have been a victim of caste politics of Congress and can safely say that a major reason why the party has stopped growing is on account of this. Regional parties have merely brought out in the open what the Congress was pursuing behind closed doors.

Q: Who is your main rival in the Assembly polls?
A: The BJP. I say this because the party has established its hold in Punjab and Uttrakhand. Its efforts would be fully directed to win the UP polls. The party knows that its onward march can only be arrested by the SP. The parliament elections are a proof of the same.
Q: Why are many small parties and political outfits ganging up against the SP?
A. They are tired netas with no importance in politics. ‘Yeh sab buddhe tamashbin hain’ (they are old onlookers.) They are now looking for support from any quarter whether it is Ajit Singh, VP Singh or any other. “Jan Morcha ko to Janta ne morcha laga diya hai” (Jan Morcha has been rusted due to people’s apathy towards it).
Q: Intra-party feud is rampant in the SP with many senior leaders involved in the same?
A: Internal differences are common in all big parties. But they have ceased to exist in the SP in the light of the polls. We are all firmly behind ‘netaji’ and working with the objective to get a clear majority.

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