The BJP has failed in evoking any pan-Indian issue against the government.
Three issues -- economy, security and leadership -- are pan-Indian issues. It is the BJP's agenda on which this election is being fought.
Do you agree that the assembly election results in Andhra Pradesh and Orissa will make or break the BJP?
I won't say it will make or break the BJP, but they are crucial. We are fighting the election on our own. Our ability to become an important player in those states will influence our ability to impact.
What do you make of the attack on L K Advani by the top Congress leadership in response to your allegation that Dr Manmohan Singh is a weak prime minister?
The attacks on Advani don't disturb us. If the Congress decides to make Advani the central issue of this election it suits us. We have occupied the centrestage. After claiming to have NREGS (the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme) and such development issues for five years, if you have only Advani as an issue then it shows that it is an abandonment of governmental performance.
I think megalomania strikes you when you get into power. The problem of overdoing advertising and publicity is that you end up buying your own propaganda.
The UPA has spent millions of rupees in advertising the loan waiver scheme and NREGS, but none of them has made an impact.
Being in charge of Uttar Pradesh, how do you see the BJP faring in that crucial state?
In UP, we had hit the rock bottom in the 2007 assembly election. We had three challenges. Somehow we must increase the party's vote percentage, we must win more seats and we must attract the alienated voters. There are constituencies where we may not win, but if our votes are significant then it will help us in the next assembly election.
We are working hard to win seats. Second, people have seen the government of the Samajwadi Party and now the government of Mayawati which is as bad as the SP or may be worse. There is a large segment of the people who think the BJP is the better option.
Image: L K Advani on the campaign trail in Karnataka. Photograph: KPN Photos
Also see: Narendra Modi: I am an apolitical CM | India Votes
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