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Bhojpuri film star and singer Manoj Tiwari is the sole BJP MP who has been fielded again by the party which has dropped six of the seven sitting MPs in Delhi. In North-East Delhi, he faces the Congress’s popular face Kanhaiya Kumar at a time when the newly-stitched Congress-AAP alliance is nearly coming apart, with the Delhi Congress chief Arvinder Singh Lovely resigning over ticket distribution and seat sharing with Kejriwal’s party. Tiwari tells businessline why the BJP is set to sweep Delhi despite the Congress-AAP tie-up. Edited excerpts:
The resignation of Arvind Singh Lovely as head of local Congress Unit is good for the BJP, isn’t it?
Congress is in a mess. Communists (referring to Kanhaiya Kumar, his rival in North-East Delhi) have infiltrated their cadre. Old Congress workers are very upset. I don’t want to say much about this. It’s their internal matter.
How do you read the low percentage of polling during the first two phases?
Lower polling is a matter of concern for everyone. Some say there was a very high voting percentage among minorities, but that is not correct. It is difficult for me to say why there was low voter turnout, but I can tell you that people have high faith in Modi ji. Still, I would like to appeal that every voter needs to vote.
The slogan of 400-plus is now missing from NDA campaigning. Is there voter apathy?
400-plus is very much being raised and this will happen. I do not believe that lower percentage means less than 400 seats for NDA. Sometimes, overconfidence also causes apathy. Despite this, our assessment is that we are winning as expected.
Both you and Kanhaiya are from Bihar, how do you see the contest unfolding?
He is hardly a Bihari. Bihar is ashamed of him. The last time, he contested from Begusarai (Bihar) — his native place — he lost by a margin of over 4.22 lakhs. People are not taking him seriously. He raised the slogan of ‘Bharat tere tukde honge (India will break in many pieces)’ and acted accordingly too. He raised the slogan of ‘Hame Chahiye Azadi (we need freedom)’, from whom? This country got freedom in 1947. What kind of freedom does he need?
Don’t you think Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest has generated sympathy for him?
There is no sympathy at all. People would have been milling around if there was sympathy. When he was part of the anti-corruption movement in 2011, there were massive crowds in his support. All those have vanished. He has failed to live up to his promises.
What have you done as an MP for the last ten years?
My constituency (North East Delhi) now has a large bridge over the River Yamuna. There is a permanent railway station in my area where there is a stoppage of seven trains. My effort would be to ensure the stoppage of 4 key trains on this station. My constituency now has metro connectivity. For the next term, my agenda would be to see that roads are in better shape.
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