BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya on Thursday, 30 April, said the doors of NDA are "never shut for new allies" as there are no permanent enemies in politics.
The BJP, he asserted, is in a position to win at least 30 out of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal as the people of the state are "fed up" with the misrule of TMC.
Asked whether the doors of NDA will be opened for Mamata Banerjee in a post poll scenario, Vijayvargiya told PTI in an interview that if she wants to return, then NDA would take a call whether to induct her or not.
“These are speculative questions, we won’t give an answer to it. In politics, there is never a permanent enemy. If she feels the situation is suitable and wants to return to NDA then we would take a call on it whether to induct her or not.”Vijayvargiya, who is also the BJP’s in charge of Bengal, said.
Asked if the BJP will welcome Mamata Banerjee to the NDA if she rectifies her policy of alleged minority appeasement and on infiltration, Vijayvargiya said, "We can't answer speculative questions. Our fight is against those who are disrespecting the country, our forces and its valour, and Mamata Banerjee is one of them and part of that alliance who have indulged in it.
The present elections are being fought between "patriots" (deshbhakti) and "power mongers" (kursibhakti). Questioning armed forces to secure minority votes is shameful. We are fighting against it and we are fighting against her in West Bengal," he said.
After the formation of the TMC in 1998, it was part of the NDA from 1998-2006. Banerjee was also railway minister in the NDA cabinet.
“Earlier, when Banerjee started her political career it seemed that she used to fight for the poor and oppressed. But now she has completely changed and now she shelters goons and is more interested in opposing country's interest. She has gone in the wrong direction,” Vijayvargiya alleged.
His comments come in the backdrop of allegation by the opposition CPI(M)-Congress in Bengal, that both the TMC and BJP are engaged in a mock fight and TMC is the "trojan horse of BJP" in the Opposition camp.
Modi, in an interview last week, had said the Trinamool Congress supremo sends him kurtas, which she chooses personally for him, and Bengali sweets, every year.
When asked whether the BJP-led NDA would remain open for new allies in post poll scenario, he said the decision regarding it would be taken by senior NDA leaders.
"The decision regarding it would be taken by senior NDA leaders. But the doors of NDA are never shut for anyone. If in future (post poll) some one (party) wants to join us then NDA leaders will take a call," the 62-year-old BJP leader said.
Maintaining that the BJP would win much higher number of seats than 2014, he refuted as baseless the speculation that someone else might be chosen as PM candidate in case NDA falls short of majority.
"No one is even thinking of it. Nobody is even thinking that Modiji will not be re-elected as PM. The country has already decided that only Modiji will be the next PM and there is no need to even answer this question," he said.
He also mocked Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for “running away” from Varanasi out of "fear of defeat at the hands of Modi" and at the same time equated Congress president Rahul Gandhi with a "comedian", whose statements “act as comic relief” and “are not taken seriously” by masses.
Referring to Vadra's decision against contesting from Varanasi against Modi, he said, "She got afraid and decided against contesting, out fear of defeat at the hands of Modiji,".
Speaking on Rahul Gandhi's call to defeat the BJP, Vijayvargiya, said the more he addresses public meetings the higher the number of seats BJP would win in the polls.
"The more he campaigns, the better for Modiji. As people of this country don't take him seriously. His statements are good for entertainment, just like comic relief," he said.
Asked whether nominating Sadhvi Pragya from Madhya Pardesh in the Lok Sabha polls would send out a wrong message, Vijayvargiya said Sadhvi Pragya was allegedly tortured by the UPA government just to establish that there is "Hindu terror" in the country.
"She was tortured just to establish the terminology of Hindu terror in this country which was coined by P Chidambaram, Digvijay Singh... It's a good opportunity to decide, as people now have a choice to make. .. Whoever thinks there is Hindu terror would go with Digvijay Singh and those who think there is nothing called Hindu terror would vote for Sadhvi Pragya," he said.
When asked to react to allegations that the BJP doesn't respect its senior leaders like L K Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, he said there is a rule in the party that those above 75 should not be given ticket.
"Not giving ticket doesn't mean that we don't respect our senior leaders. We respect our senior leaders and they are part of our Margdarshak Mandal," he said.
Holding that "Opposition alliance is on its death bed", Vijayvargiya said the BJP would form the next government with a bigger majority.
Suggesting that the TMC government might not complete its full term till 2021 as it will face existential crisis post Lok Sabha elections, Vijayvargiya said the "political career of Banerjee is short-lived".
"The existence of this state government is at stake. In Bengal, an authoritarian rule is going on. Several ministers, MLAs and senior leaders of TMC are not happy in the party and they are in constant touch with us. And as soon as we win 25-30 seats in Bengal, those who are disgruntled would leave the party and join us," he said.
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