Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Taking dad’s legacy forward, says Pankaja Munde

Portraying herself as the leader of all deprived sectors of society the BJP candidate from Beed Pankaja Munde said shersquos the person not only OBCs but also Marathas as well as members of all minorities can look to for help Taking time out of her busy schedule Munde caught up with midday for a brief interview during the campaign and spoke about issues ranging from reservation to development to the environment ExcerptsHow are you finding the race so farI have taken these elections very seriously and have not wasted a single minute I have been working tirelessly and I am sure the result will be in my favourIt must be challenging to maintain the standard set by the late Gopinath Munde The party was at its peak during his time Do you feel any pressureBasically I do not see it as a challenge I am very much a part of whatever my father the late Gopinath Munde was doing I was part of his team then and always Whenever he won with a good margin I was part of that team Even then I had contributed very very strongly We are replicating the same template and even now most of the team that was working under him is now with me We are working strategically There are some new issues which we are dealing with We are meeting the last person in the constituency and seeking blessings support and votesPeople see you as an OBC leader The state government has started issuing Kunbi certificates to Marathas which upset OBCs The Maratha reservation issue poses a challenge for the BJPI have been studying these issues with a lot of concern Perception and reality are not going together hand in hand Matters are being perceived differently by different communities There is a correct way to handle this Everything should be properly explained in a perspective and people should be able to perceive what is conveyed It is quite a complicated situation right now The issue is not dominant in all of Maharashtra but in a few districts I was born into an OBC community and am very proud of it but I am not just an OBC leader but will keep fighting for the rights of all communities including the Marathas minorities and the deprived sectors Leadership is leadership It should be for all I look at it that way One is born in a certain community but the responsibilities of a leader are different encompassing all communitiesThe BJP is seeing more negativity in rural areas than urban regions due to crop prices reservations and other such factorsAs I said how people look at this government how we talk and how we perceive are very important For me it is very important when I am dealing with people and delivering speeches It is very important for me that people reciprocate and react to what I say correctly There will be differences There will be instances when people like a leader but not the party and vice versa People have expectations and my task as a candidate is to understand and convey what the party has done and will be doing I wonrsquot say there are no problems We are here to understand the issues and problems of the people But they can be resolved That assurance should be given to people Then they will trust youWill the Maratha reservation issue have an impact on the electionAs I said rural people are confused and urban people are with us People who lack the facts and knowledge will have issues But people who have knowledge and facts will be with us In fact people are always with us Intellectual people are always with us and farmers convince them And the reservation will be there and it will slowly fade awayUnemployment is a major issue The needs of the constituency have changed During Gopinath Mundersquos time an industrial hub was a necessity Today an IT park is needed for jobs What is your take on thisYes Mundejirsquos time was different That time there was a need for basic infrastructure We tried to accomplish this in the last 10 years We have built national highways and small connections to villages We implemented the Mukhyamantri Gram Sadak Yojana and water conservation for villages We are working on the water grid also The railway line reaches Amalner Now it will be extended to the next destination All these things are required to become an industrial hub We have done all that The next phase will be getting investment for the district some nice projects where we will be able to help the unemployedCities are developing but solid waste management and other environmental concerns remainWe have to make pollution norms very very strict It really hurts me to see trash lying around I see a lot of plastic floating in the water or in rivers It is quite painful We have to really work on this