'We want to ensure SAD-BJP's defeat; open to all possibilities'

In the 1989 parliamentary elections, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) emerged as the third alternative in Punjab, but could never become one. The last time it won a seat in the Punjab assembly was in 1997 when it contested alone. However, despite its shrinking base, BSP state president Avtar Singh Karimpuri says the party will gain out of multi-corner contest in the coming assembly elections in 2017.
PPCC president Captain Amarinder Singh has said his party is in talks with the BSP for poll alliance in Punjab.
The talks between the two parties would be taking place in Delhi and the decision from our side would be taken by 'Behenji' (BSP supremo Mayawati). It would also depend if an alliance works out in Uttar Pradesh.
In the 2012, SAD-BJP made major gains in Doaba despite a major section of dalits being angry with the Akalis due to killing of Ravidassia sect's deputy head Sant Ramanand in Vienna in 2009. BSP gained on around half a dozen reserved seats in the region and ensured Congress defeat. If you contest alone, will it help SAD-BJP again?
BSP's politics and decision to contest elections is decided as per its own goals. We are not concerned with what happens to other parties as we are fighting for the under dogs. If Congress lost assembly elections, it lost due to its own follies. But this time BSP will gain out of the multi-cornered contest due to entry of AAP. In 1997, I lost from Mahilpur despite getting 32% votes, but our candidate from Garhshankar won despite getting 26% votes as the contest there was multi-cornered. This time also we shall gain and the party would play a role in the formation of the next government.
Over the years, your party has been facing erosion in the state. It secured a little over 4% of the vote share in the state in 2007 and 2012 assembly elections. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, BSP's vote share was reduced to 1.9% from around 8% in 2004. Has it not proved that you need to have an alliance to recover the lost ground?
We have already recovered the lost ground across the last year and our successful Banga rally, despite party supremo Mayawati's absence, manifested that we have repaired the damage. Moreover, people are against SAD-BJP, Congress is failing and AAP has already failed to deliver in Delhi. We shall gain with our positive agenda, which has been made more inclusive. We have been raising common issues and not just confining ourselves to the issues of our core support base. Alliance or no alliance, we are going to gain this time. That is the pulse and we can feel from our working at the grassroots.
But your social engineering formula in 2007 failed to deliver electoral dividends?
At that time, we were focussed on picking up individuals from different communities and banked upon them to stitch social engineering. But, this time, we have already taken up common issues and hope to get farmers, backward classes and even people from urban area voting for us.
Captain Amarinder Singh has said that if Congress-BSP alliance happens, seat sharing would have to across the board and not just on reserved seats?
Let there be a decision on alliance first. Still, there is nothing wrong in his argument as BSP is also a party of all communities and castes and we have been contesting on general seats as well; we fought on all 117 seats last time.
In 1989, you won two LS seats in alliance with SAD (Mann) and, in 1996, three seats in alliance with SAD (Badal). Do you see a possibility of aligning with some Sikh outfit too? in case your talks with Congress don't mature?
We are open to every possibility. What we want to ensure is defeat of SAD-BJP. A lot of changes can take place in Punjab in the next one year until elections and we shall remain responsive to the situation and accordingly decide our strategy to defeat SAD-BJP and gain for ourselves.
BSP founder Kanshi Ram hailed from Punjab and the party started gaining roots in Punjab and UP at the same time. Why, couldn't the party become that strong here...
I would blame it on some organizational weaknesses. Kanshi Ram Ji gave us over all guidance, but we lacked somewhere. While BSP got a foothold in all communities in UP, the same didn't happen in Punjab.