I am a fan of Narendra Modi but if I don’t like something I will say no to the party: Uma Bharati

I am a disciplined soldier of people and Ganga, Uma Bharati tells ET.

SP or BSP, who do you consider the main opponent?
Before the coalition of Rahul (Gandhi) and Akhilesh (Yadav), SP was a tough number two. But after he (Yadav) joined Rahul it is not so. Nobody takes Rahul seriously. Akhilesh shook hands with Rahul, they declared their unity and he gave them (Congress) 105 seats. Out of those 100 we are going to win around 80. Their joining hands is going to give us a very thick majority.

What about the seats where SP is contesting? Is it a formidable foe?
SP was a tough opponent prior to Akhilesh holding his party’s national convention and expelling his father. But after he expelled his father on January 2, half of his own community voters have gone to BJP because they did not like this kind of disrespect to his father. Mulayam made this party in UP. SP core voter has deserted it.

You attacked Dimple Yadav on the law and order issue in UP. Why her?
I think Dimple is very insensitive. If she wants to be in politics, she cannot be just Akhilesh’s wife. She has to be sympathetic to the issues of women, which she is not right now. She should have gone to the Bulandshahr rape victims and to the Badaun rape victims’ families. She could have helped them, consoled them.

She has countered your charge, saying atrocities against women happened in Kutch in BJP-ruled Gujarat…
But we take a tough stand (in BJPruled states). We have fast-track courts in these states. That is not the case in UP. Here the government comes in favour of rapists. Mulayam and Azam Khan were giving statements in favour of rapists.

Do you think BJP should have projected a CM candidate?
The main opposition for us is (lack of) law and order and our leader is our good image. So it is our good image versus their bad law and order. BJP has a good past (as ruling party) in UP. Kalyan Singh was declared CM after we got a majority. That was a dangerous indication for our opponents as Kalyan Singh is an OBC. He, Rajnath Singh and Ram Prakash Gupta had total control over law and order.

Do you think that if your party wants you can assume the role of CM?
I don’t know why my party is doing this (projecting me prominently). Even in my distant thought I do not imagine myself being a leader in UP.

But you will follow whatever your party tells you to do?
No, I am not a disciplined soldier of the party. I am a disciplined soldier of people’s cause and Ganga. I am a fan of Narendra Modi but if I don’t like something I will say no to the party.

The 71 BJP MPs have been asked to ensure victory of the Vidhan Sabha candidates in their constituency...
As an MP the responsibility does come on our shoulders. But ticket distribution is done by the election committee, so the whole party has to take responsibility. The MP alone can take all the responsibility when the ticket distribution is done as per their choice.

Earlier BJP was known as a party of Brahmins and Banias. Now there is a shift towards wooing the EBCs.
That is the fine social engineering of Amit Shah. I can say that though Amit Shah was born in an upper caste, he comes in the league of Charan Singh and Karpuri Thakur in bringing social reforms in Indian politics. Three parties that dominated Indian politics — BJP, Congress and Left — were dominated by upper caste leaders. The first change in BJP came with Kalyan Singh, Uma Bharati, Shivraj Singh and then Modi becoming chief ministers.

There is a charge that BJP is polarising polls by fielding Yogi Adityanath and others to campaign in west UP…
All we are deciding is which leader is more important for campaigning in which place.

The issue of triple talaq is being raised now during the elections…
No, the issue started much earlier. It has to do with the Muslim women in this country and the world over.

The Ram temple issue is also being raised in this election...
That is because you are asking me… It is not a political issue. It is my faith that a Ram temple should be built. But why ask at the time of elections?

BJP manifesto promises formation of anti-Romeo squads…
Shahnawaz Hussain got married to Renu and I arranged that marriage as there was opposition from both families. Renu is still Renu Sharma and Shahnawaz is not Shahnawaz Sharma. Sushil Modi has married a Christian and she is a Christian even now. But definitely this love jihad kind of thing is there. I have seen many families crying in Bhopal also. Shivraj government took tough action.