‘Had Modi pushed Lokpal, he would have been likelier to win’

It’s a good thing alliances are off. This is as it should be — all parties should fight on their own steam —though in actuality there should not be any political parties, let alone alliances. But at least this is the lesser of the two evils.

Are you not supporting any party or independent candidates?

I am against elections based on political parties — even the Constitution does not mention parties when talking of the democratic process of elections. After Independence, Pandit Nehru hastily announced elections and we were stuck with this system. The Constitution has laid down procedures on how to form a government and elect a prime minister from independent winners. But this has never been followed and since I will never endorse a party, I have stayed away. But I am creating awareness among voters, telling them not to vote for corrupt candidates, and if they cannot find a candidate they should go for NOTA.

Has any political party or leader approached you for support?
No, they have not. Because they know I am a dangerous man.

Will the Modi factor have an effect on the Maharashtra polls?

It’s hard to say. He is doing much the same thing as other parties did during previous elections. They too held rallies, came by helicopter, booked grounds, hired people for Rs 200 a day. But what did we get? We don’t need gardi (crowds), we need dardi (empathy) to win votes. So, one doesn’t know which way it will swing. Ideally one party should get a majority but that looks difficult. Finally, it will once again be a khichdi with all its associated problems.

How would you rate the performance of the Modi government?

Five months are really not enough to make a big change. There is nothing done on the ground yet, but the new government’s thought process is good. However, I must say that if Modi had spent as much time pushing Lokpal policies as he is doing on rallies, he would have had a much better chance of winning. We were anticipating a discussion on Lokpal in the first parliamentary session but nothing of that sort happened.

Do you regret breaking up with Arvind Kejriwal and the rest?

Our team did not break. It was broken. People with vested interests ensured we were scattered so that we could not pose a combined force against them. Had we been together, we would have made a huge impact in both the Lok Sabha and the Vidhan Sabha elections. But Arvind came up with a political party, and I can never support a party. If he had not formed a party, we would have been a formidable team of independents and would have changed the fortunes of the country. I am the only one who remained true to the original thought and will continue to campaign against corruption among the people.

What are your plans for the future?

As soon as the elections are over, I will restart my tour of Maharashtra and the rest of the country. For the next two to four years, I will move among the people. I also want independents to come forward and start working for the next Lok Sabha polls. If at the end of these four years, they have actually burnt like candles in serving the people, let them stand for the polls and I will go out on the streets and support their candidature. If we can get 150 to 200 such people, we will still change the face of the nation. I feel I still have the energy to work for the country and against corruption for the next eight to 10 years.