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'Congress Is Being Too Optimistic'

State BJP chief Rajnath Singh is the archetypal organisation man, low-key and committed to the growth of the party. He is also regarded as a key anti-Kalyan Singh leader in UP's party pantheon. Excerpts from an interview:

You are regarded as the lynchpin of anti-Kalyan operations.
I have never been accused of indulging in dirty politics. That is my track record. Everyone knows it.

But what about the infighting in the BJP? Is it going to harm your poll prospects?
I am an organisation man. During the last one-and-a-half years, I have set up more than 75,000 gram panchayats in Uttar Pradesh alone. People who say that the BJP is not going to do as well as before are in for a surprise.

So can you predict results?
It is still too early, but the Congress is being unnecessarily enthusiastic. I think that the Samajwadi Party has a better mass base than the Congress. Its minority vote bank is still largely intact.

Do you have an unannounced pact with the Samajwadi Party?
No way. We cannot compromise with a party that had introduced criminality in politics. Also, they have the blood of karsevaks on their hands. We cannot forget that.

In which case, who is your main rival in the elections?
It will differ from one constituency to the other. We are prepared for anyone. It does not matter who is fighting.

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