'A Cautious Distance From All Controversial Issues'

It was an off-the-cuff post on Facebook by former Outlook publisher Maheshwer Peri:

Let me attempt to explain to all Bhakts who are stunned into silence with the by-election results. The May 2014 verdict was against Gandhis, corruption and inaction. It was for development and growth and NOT for Hindutva or fringe right elements within BJP. Definitely not for Swamy, Shah or Yogi. NaMo was the oasis that a parched nation walked towards in an unending desert. It is for modi to quench people's thirst or be a mirage in a desert and belie their hopes. I fervently hope he succeeds and the achhe din are delivered.

And he was surprised to see the following comment on it from one Radha Mohan Das Agrawal:

 Peri I don't know you, but being a BJP MLA I say, you should be congratulated for your most neutral analysis.

Like my page at facebook.com / Dr.radha mohan das agrawal and also connect me through Massanger

I couldn't share it to public.

Mr Agrawal identified himself as the MLA from Gorakhpur, UP, and Chief whip of BJP legislative assembly party, UP, and also provided his contact co-ordinates. Outlook Web Bureau got in touch with him to ask him to elaborate his views.

Do you agree with the analysis above on which you shared your comment on Facebook? When we called you after seeing your above comment, you said you did not agree with it fully and would not want to discuss the role of individuals. Which parts do you agree with and which parts you don't?

Let me explain it like this. The Lok Sabha election was won by BJP because of fallowing reasons:

1. People were fed up of rampant, all pervasive, omnipresent corruption of UPA
2. People realised that leave alone policy paralysis, the UPA government didn't even have any policy
3. Political immaturity of respected Mr Rahul Gandhiji was so widely accepted that people had stopped taking him seriously anymore. Sonia ji, suffering from typical love for male child, didn't even think of replacing RG with PVG.
4. Corruption of Mr Robert Vadhraji was taken very seriously by people.
5. Modiji by that time had already established that he had what was  lacking in the UPA: values of honesty, zero tolerance to corruption, successful and foresighted way to functionality and devotion to the cause. People had already taken the decision in favour of Modiji, even before his campaign started. He was being seen as a Robin Hood figure who was going to correct everyone and everything— within and outside the party ruthlessly. People used to earlier say that he could have very easily kept at least his mother with him, but he is so rigid about his honesty, that he is not letting anyone say anything.
6. Through out his campaign, he decisively maintained a cautious distance from all controversial issues, so much so that, there were voices against him regarding his stand on various such issues, but he never replied to any one of them. I would prefer not to accept that Hindutva was side-tracked , because it needs a separate and elaborate discussion, but surely I can say that Modiji knows fully well when and when not, what and what not, how much and how little to speak openly and how much between the lines. A person who don't have this much of political acumen, shouldn't be made Prime-minister.

There is no doubt that Modiji has to fulfil his commitments, but if one honestly and impartially analyses his personality, his body language and his style of functioning, one has no option but accept it openly that " Poot ke pair palne me nazar aa rahe hain", i.e, he has hit the ground running and has started work on many matters of priority on the development plank.

I very sincerely thank Mr Peri for his honest analysis, but we should understand the limitations of Twitter and Facebook and the limited time which is available to a person who very early in the morning has to read everything hurriedly and pass comments summarily. I look at it simply in this fashion. There are three options of reacting to a Facebook comment. One can either like it, share it or comment on it. I am a frank person. If I had agreed with the comment fully, I would have shared it. But I decided to comment on it. My vernacular language is Hindi, so it is possible that there was some confusion among those who saw my comment. 

Why do you think the BJP did so badly in the bypolls held recently all over, particularly in Uttar Pradesh?

I am no expert on the bypolls held all over the country, so may not be able to analyse the reasons of defeat everywhere, specially in such a large and diverse country where local political factors vary from constituency to constituency.

As for as Uttar Pradesh is concerned, there is no doubt that the results are as good as the party's state leadership had imagined . Our hon . state president has unhesitatingly said so in his press interview. There is a difference between reaching the top in Lok Sabha 2014 elections and to maintain that in yet to be seen results in state elections. 

The Lok Sabha election was fought under the charismatic leadership of hon. Modiji, whom the people at large had accepted for his place and time-appropriate articulate speech, for his honest and unimpeachable personality, his foresight and meticulous planning capacity, the definitive capabilities of executing his plans and agenda, the political courage of taking impersonal and impartial decisions and above all the mastery and wonderful skill in mass-communication. 

So much was the fervour, that even those who didn't vote for us after Sri Ram Janam Bhoomi Andolan this time voted for Modi ji.

Now when in these state by-elections, where Modiji is not in fray and his charismatic leadership is elsewhere occupied, shaping the future of country, to expect that we would get the same result is not very practical.

Second, as Yogi Aditya Nathji, has himself said, the UP state leadership was a bit euphoric and had taken it for granted that since only three months have passed and people all over the country are still caught in 'Modi mania', they would vote in these by-elections as they had voted in the  Lok Sabha elections. We must not forget that, the central and state government elections are fought on different issues and gradually people have become wise enough to do differentiated voting. People are now politically mature enough to vote keeping their interests in mind for the central and state elections.

Third, once you accomplish a very big job, as people had done in Lok Sabha, your attention is diverted to minor and personal issues. People thought that in Lok Sabha election, by-passing their personal interest they had already voted for the national cause. They realised that the results of these simple by-polls for the assembly would not affect the future of the state government. And since this very government has to continue for another 2.5 years, they seem to have thought, why not swim with it for their personal and local interest? 

If we do a deep analysis, we will find that, in Lok Sabha election, a big chunk of SP, BSP, Lokdal and Congress supporters had, leaving aside their political lineage, openly voted for Modiji, knowing that he was going to form the government. They told the opponent party supporters that since their respective parties were not going to be able to form the government at the centre, they were voting for the BJP but when the state election comes, they promised that they vote for their traditional preferences. And they were, unlike politicians, true to their word.

Fourth, The BSP was not in fray in the bypolls and its voters were available in the political market—they seem to have preferred to encash their vote, rather that giving it to independents, thus leading to increase in the vote share of SP.

Fifth, it's a fact that, there is a section in BJP which feels that, when a Modi phenomenon is still present, why un-necessarily sweat for elections? They didn't have the fervour that they had during Lok Sabha election.

Sixth, Yogiji himself has said, that due to some reasons, state leadership failed to properly judge the winnability quotient among different tickets aspirants, leading to, on few seats, unsuitable candidates succeeding in manipulating the process.

Seventh, hon. Amit shah has just joined as national president of BJP. The organisational secretary also joined in post-election period, so they couldn't interfere much and in practicality decisions were taken at state level.

Do you think that the raising of the communal temperatures and strident right wing polarising propaganda about "Love Jehad" and "Madras being terror factories" etc could be a reason for this defeat?

No, I don't think so. 'Love jehad', if you remember, couldn't even be discussed in state working committee meeting, because people were not much interested in it. Even a resolution was not passed in the meeting. There may be few person, here and there, who were raising these issues, but it wasn't a major issue of elections. As far as the matter of "madarsa as terror factories' is concerned, perhaps your reference is to Sakshiji and, apart from him, probably on one else raised the issue.

1. The biggest factor was polarisation of Muslim votes, a sad commentary on Muslim politics of Uttar Pradesh, but practically in all places, except Saharanpur city, they all voted as a block for SP, as, there was no confusion as to who could defeat BJP. In the absence of BSP, the only major choice was SP, so they voted for SP in these bypolls. In general Vidhan Sabha elections, when BSP would again become a serious contender, the situation would be different.
2. The SP was reeling under a shock from the Lok Sabha results and from May 16, the day of the Lok Sabha election results, they started their preparations. This is called learning from one's failure. Political honesty demands that CM Akhilesh Yadavji be congratulated for his success. He was so sure of the results, that his Facebook comments, a day prior to counting, were showing his full confidence. He was so much involved in the election process, that from beginning to the end, he was, himself giving details of counting with slogans prepared (must be in advance), based on the name of candidates. If you are fighting a political opponent, we must acknowledge his weaknesses as well as his strengths.
3. This being a by-poll, government machinery was also in full political swing. If I say more than this, people will say what do you expect from a BJP MLA, so let me not say anything more than this.

You represent the same constituency in the UP Assembly that falls under Yogi Adityanath's Parliament constituency. We all know about his views on what is being described "Love Jehad". What are your own views on it?

Yes, I represent the assembly seat which is a part of Yogiji's parliamentary constituency. Not only that, I am in politics because of his blessings. He is not only my political mentor but now is also the Mahant of Gorakhnath mandir. To people of eastern Uttar Pradesh, he is Gaurakchh-peethadhwishwar Mahant Aditya Nathji. We have good enough relations to discuss our opinions and differences, if any, on a one-to-one basis. I am ethically, morally, spiritually, socially and politically not supposed to vent my personal feelings publicly. Only last night, we discussed the causes of failure. He is one of those rare leaders who has courage to sail against the wind. I am reading various articles in newspapers, castigating him for the failure in these bypolls. No one tries to understand his agony, as this disappointment in results has nothing to do with him. 

As far as, 'love jehad' is concerned, since our hon. home minister Rajnath Singhji himself has said that he is not aware of any such term, my views are best expressed through him.