'I don't want to claim victory out of thin air'

A Congress leader for years, Krishna Tirath switched to BJP just recently. Contesting from Patel Nagar constituency, she responds to charges of being an “opportunist” and what plans she has to bail out residents from water woes. Excerpts from a conversation with
Shiv Sunny:

You have been seen telling people to press the lotus button instead of the hand. Are you afraid that the switch from Congress to BJP might prove to be costly?

The public here recognise me by my face and will anyway support me irrespective of my party. Through television channels they have learnt that I have joined BJP, so they know they have to vote for the lotus.

Any issues that you had with Congress before you quit the party must not have cropped up overnight. Isn’t your timing of switching over to BJP peculiar?

Please don’t ask this question (pauses). Yeh meri vichardhara hai (this is my ideology).

Your former colleagues in Congress have called you an “opportunist”. What would you say about that?

What the Congress says doesn’t matter. They are saying it because it is required of them to say something. Those leaders would themselves leave the party at the first opportunity.

What will be your priorities for development of this constituency if you won?

It was I who set up many colonies in this area in the 1980s, but they have been neglected for the past 15 years in my absence. Water and sewer problems will be addressed urgently.

The constituency is grappling with water woes. Do you have any solution?

Many colonies in my constituency are on hilltops, so water is not reaching homes. I intend to establish 2,000 litre capacity water tanks on every lane and connect them to each home using pipes.

The tanks will be replenished everyday by water tankers, which are filled at reservoirs. Women will be saved from the daily hard work of waiting with cans.

How do you intend to reach out to voters and tell them about your plans?

I have been trying to visit every lane personally. Apart from that, party workers in my constituency have been divided into four teams.

Each team will try to visit every house in the constituency at least once. That means every house is told about my plan four times.

Are you then confident that people will vote you to victory?

I will not claim anything until the election results are announced. I don’t believe in claiming victory out of thin air.