In the news for his refusal to take off his turban at the US embassy in New Delhi, Virendra Singh, BJP MP from Bhadohi (in eastern UP), wears his farmers’ pride on his sleeve. The former wrestler and farmer-leader, a veteran RSS hand, is a three-time MP. In a free-wheeling conversation with Ushinor Majumdar, he speaks about the incident and about the BJP’s chances in the upcoming UP assembly elections. He also explains why he would make a good chief ministerial candidate for the party.
Why did you refuse a US visa after having accepted the embassy’s invitation to visit the United States?
About two months ago, the US embassy had reached out to me regarding my views and work on agriculture, our culture and the practices of farmers. The embassy’s representatives interviewed me at length and this was published and shared widely. Later, they officially invited me to visit the US to speak on agriculture and farming. I had therefore accepted the invitation.
What went wrong then?
After the Parliament’s monsoon session was over, we finalised the date for departure on August 26. It was to be a short visit and I would have returned in the first week of September. On August 24, I was called to the US embassy in New Delhi to get the visa. At gate no. 6, security personnel and other officials of the embassy asked me to take off my pagri (turban). I told them that the turban was a part of my culture and a symbol of all farmers here. Not only do I represent them, I am also a farmer myself, so I told them I couldn’t take it off. When they insisted, I reminded them that I was there at their invitation and if they failed to respect my choice, I did not need to be there. But my words didn’t seem to register with them or change anything. So I told them I didn’t need their visa and left.
Did you bring this to the notice of the Government of India?
I have told the ministry of external affairs what I have just told you. MEA officials said they would raise it with the US embassy. I will also raise this issue in Parliament.
But the US embassy denied any such incident in a statement it issued. Are you aware of such a statement?
I have all the documents to show that I was invited by them. If they want to deny that they asked me to remove the pagri, they are lying and that is their choice.
The UP state assembly elections are coming up and you have been actively campaigning. What are the main issues for the BJP in the upcoming polls?
UP is an agriculture-based state and has the highest population of farmers in the country. The central government has also, for the first time, designed specific schemes for them. But the present state government is unable to implement them. That is because Akhilesh Yadav doesn’t know a thing about farming. We need a farmer-CM to change UP into an agriculture-intensive state. There have been no farmer-CMs in UP since Kalyan Singh and Charan Singh.
One could also argue that UP has a lot of scope for industry...
The next expansion of industry in UP should be based on farming. There is already a large sugar industry but the government has to utilise it properly and help it grow. The state has a huge fruit export market and smaller industries can be set up around this. The Ganga-Yamuna plains make UP the most fertile ground for agriculture and agro-based industry.
But caste seems to play a far greater role in the UP elections. Mayawati has been highlighting atrocities on Dalits by gaurakshaks.
Mayawati does this only to use Dalits as her votebank. The PM has already addressed this issue and people listen to him. When he had asked people who didn’t need gas subsidy to let go of it, 1.5 crore gave it up. This time too, the public will listen to him. But if Dalits use fake gaurakshaks and their atrocities as a way to get votes, their economic situation won’t change.
But Mayawati’s rallies continue to draw massive crowds.
Her rallies drew crowds during the Lok Sabha elections too, but she didn’t win a single seat. It’s the same set of supporters who travel to her rallies in different places. The other leaders of the BSP are deserting her because, in a democracy, you cannot tolerate certain things for long.
Will the BJP be able to replicate its win in the Lok Sabha elections?
In rural areas, I have observed that people have faith in Modi, especially farmers and economically weaker sections. Anti-incumbency has been a regular feature of the last few elections in UP but the contest has been limited to the Samajwadi Party and the BSP. In 2002, it was the SP, then it was the BSP in 2007, and again back to the SP in 2012. This time, the BSP is out of the picture. The only contest is between the SP and the BJP.
The BJP is mainly seen as a party of dominant castes in UP. Will that not dampen your chances?
The BJP is an inclusive party. For the first time, there is a government that practises true secularism. Many people had called both the BJP and Modi anti-Muslim. They said that without Muslim votes, it would be impossible to form a government. That we have formed a government with such a large majority shows we enjoy the support of Muslims who recognise our inclusive nature. People will vote on real issues not ones used to engineer disturbances.
Does the BJP have too many chief ministerial faces in Uttar Pradesh?
In a parliamentary democracy, many people want to be leaders and so you see many people aspiring for the CM’s post. I think it is absolutely healthy for everyone to harbour such ambitions. Eventually, the parliamentary board of the party will decide, but I think that there must definitely be a CM from the farming community. As a leader from the farming community, I understand the sentiments of the farmers and am willing to become the BJP’s CM face.
How do you see Akhilesh Yadav’s performance? Will it win him votes?
Though I rate him better than Mayawati, he has been unable to deliver on his promises. He has also failed to contain crime. Just look at the increase in violence against women. If there was the rule of law, how would Ram Vraksh Yadav manage to lay siege to a garden in the heart of Mathura for years and shoot at policemen?
You have famously been an electoral opponent of Phoolan Devi. You defeated her once (1998) and she defeated you twice (1996, 1999) from the Mirzapur Lok Sabha constituency. Will this image of a Thakur up against Phoolan, with all its baggage, affect your chances for support from the backward castes and Dalits? Especially when you wish to project yourself for a higher role?
When Phoolan Devi had defeated me the first time in 1996 on an SP ticket, both the backward castes and economically weaker sections had voted for her. But in 1998, all of these sections and the adivasis voted for me. The Brahmins and Rajputs in my own constituency have fought but they have never been divided when it came to voting for me. Even others have contested against me using divisive caste politics—including a Brahmin candidate from BSP and a Rajput candidate fielded by the Congress —but it didn’t work. This caste-based politics is the reading of analysts from outside. I am an ideology-based leader and am disinterested in caste-based politics.
