Reservation about me must be based on fact: Mishra to Yashwant
VIJAY DEO JHA / PRANAV PRATYUSH
RANCHI
Ansuman Mishra has newly joined school of politics and he will not run away just because bully boys have summoned ragging upon him. He used his best political and corporate connection to secure support of the BJP, AJSU Party and JD (U) to contest Rajya Sabha election, something which has peeved some of the central BJP leaders. A miffed BJP senior Yashwant Sinha, dropped thick hint of his displeasure. Before his arrival for an electoral battle in Jharkhand his opponents demanded his departure. “Please note I am not BJP candidate,” he reminds. Staying at state BJP headquarter he is busy drafting electoral strategy.
“If I would have been an ordinary person there would not have been so much of panic at top level. Those who have been ragging me, are, afraid that they will be subjected to same ragging by me tomorrow,” Mishra made a blunt remark. He claimed his candidature having given sleepless night to his adversaries. He is in serious business of politics and ready to rebut the charges and concern, be it of Sinha or Sushma Swaraj.
“I have never met Sushmaji and Yashwantji. Only once I got an opportunity to shake hands with Sinhaji during a programme in Newyork when he was the Foreign Minister,” he said.
“I don’t know whether he is unhappy with me or with the party. I have not heard his statement, though media have reported this,” he said. Central BJP leadership including Sinha and Swaraj have not made their reservation known about Mishra and his candidature in public which could be many.
Mishra replied: “Yashwant Sinha might have certain reservation about me. But such reservations must be based on the fact. He should have gathered details about me. You can’t hang anybody without a trial. Every dog has its day. It is wrong to tag a person as corporate lobbyist or Dhan Pashu (Hungry after money) without meeting him or investigating his or her background. It is wrong to run vilification campaign.”
Mishra did not name his target but ensured salvo must hit the target. “People who are so called intellectual and interface of the party…. fear that their bread and butter will be lost if someone strong, effective and knowledgeable come into the system.”
System and those ruling it, resist when such persons try to enter into it. “They may stop me in Jharkhand. But they can’t stop me at national level. It is true that a section of BJP favoured me but another section lobbied hard to stop me,” he said.
The day Mishra filed his nomination he became a national figure with number of dubious appendages describing him—an airdropped candidate, an outsider, corporate lobbyist and one who used his political connection in the BJP to secure support. “Can anybody explain what makes me airdropped candidate and party outsider when I have been associated with various wings of the BJP,” he retorts.
He shifted blame on Subrat Roy of Sahara Group of Companies for running such a hate campaign against him. “I had good relation with Roy till a year back. Roy has been sponsoring campaign against me. He tried to foil prospect for my candidature but there are ten such top and noted industrialists from Mumbai to Delhi who supported me,” he said. Mishra admitted that other than his political connection his years of PR exercise in the corporate world helped him. He hates to reply politician and lobbyist Amar Singh who leaped out of political coma to offer media few unconfirmed scoops about him.
Mishra has made a bet for Rajya Sabha. He claimed to be in controlling position for electoral magic in his favour. But least he is compelled for horse trading, “I would rather pack-up and proceed to my home by next flight.”
