Bhupender Yadav and economist Ila Patnaik on Time Now  |  Photo Credit: Times Now
New Delhi: In an exclusive conversation with Navika Kumar, Group Editor Times Network and Editor-in-Chief of Times Now Navbharat, Union Cabinet Minister for Environment, Forest & Climate Change and Labour & Employment Bhupender Yadav and economist Ila Patnaik spoke in length and breadth about their book ‘The Rise of the BJP’.
Expressing his views on Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Yadav said that Golwalkar ji played an important role in shaping the Sangh’s nationalistic perspective. He termed Golwalkar, who is fondly remembered as Guruji, as a very progressive and spiritual individual. The essence of RSS has evolved from Golwalker, the Union Minister stressed.
When asked to comment on the allegations that RSS interferes in the functioning of the BJP, Bhupender Yadav said it is not true, and that the Sangh doesn’t interfere in the leadership and financial matters of the party.
The Union minister refused to say anything on Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s statement that UP elections 2022 will be an 80 per cent versus 20 per cent, saying that only the CM can answer in what context he made the remarks.
He emphasised that the incumbent Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre is focussed on ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’ and is working for the upliftment of each and every person in the country, irrespective of his/her caste and religion.
Meanwhile, Ila Patnaik categorically stated that there were many instances when the RSS and the BJP were not on the same page on economic policies.
Be it Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana or other welfare social welfare initiatives launched by the BJP government, everyone, whether it was a Muslim, Christian, Jain or Parsi, no discrimination was done on a religious basis and each and every person benefitted, she stressed.
When asked by Navika Kumar whether there was any problem in writing a book with a BJP person as she herself was from Jawaharlal Nehru University, Patnaik responded by saying, “For me, most important thing was to understand BJP. For that, one should look at it historically. Being from JNU, and having the desire to learn and curiosity, helped me.”
“How do I understand the economic policies of BJP? One has to look it historically and what it has been trying to do…rather than just looking at one episode,” she said.
Hitting out at dynasty politics, Bhupender Yadav said BJP is a party that allows people to enter at the junior level and gives them the space to rise. “There’s democracy in the party. It’s not a family rule,” he said.
Expressing her view on demonetisation, Patnaik said, “It did not achieve the objective of flushing out black money but what it resulted in is that it led to the foundation of things like UPI which have proved to be useful later on,” adding that “I won’t recommend such a policy for my country or any other nation again.”