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Rampur model will become nationally acceptable now, says BJP MLA Akash Saxena

Dec 24, 2022 11:13 PM IST

Akash Saxena became the first Hindu to be elected MLA from Rampur (Sadar) and broke the hold of the Samajwadi Party’s Muslim face Azam Khan, who had been getting elected from there since 1980.

Akash Saxena, 47, the first lawmaker from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to win the Rampur (Sadar) assembly seat, now set his sights on consolidating his connect with Muslims, who are in a majority in the constituency.

BJP candidate Akash Saxena receives his election certificate in Rampur. (FILE PHOTO)
BJP candidate Akash Saxena receives his election certificate in Rampur. (FILE PHOTO)

Saxena became the first Hindu to be elected MLA from Rampur (Sadar) and broke the hold of Samajwadi Party’s Muslim face Azam Khan, who had been getting elected from there since 1980.

Just under two weeks since he was declared elected on December 8, Saxena, who defeated Khan’s aide Asim Raza, says he is working on a plan to ensure “big investments” for Rampur.

Saxena, who filed a large number of cases against political heavyweight Azam Khan, spoke to HT. It was on Saxena’s complaint that Khan, for the first time, is not even a voter in his own backyard. Excerpts:

Q: You have won an election on a seat that comprises a community which had never been considered close to BJP. Now, as the first BJP MLA for the seat, how do you propose to connect with your electorate, mainly Muslims?

A: It is just about two weeks since I won the seat and I have already been assured of 350 crore investment for Rampur. By February, when the Global Investors’ Summit takes place in Lucknow and for which BJP ministers have been touring abroad, I am confident that this figure would have risen to about 1000 crore. And, this too, would be just the beginning. Now, Rampur will feel the difference, witness real and great development.

Q: So, big ticket investment is part of the “minority-connect” plan?

A: Even during my campaign, I had promised that Rampur would again be known for factories and industries for which it was once known. And, this is all for a reason. I, too, run a few businesses and I well know (that) in earlier times, Rampur ranked number two in terms of industries it then had. There were prominent industries that offered direct employment to about 50,000 people and indirect to many others. But, then some people, in order to prosper politically, undid all that. I am merely trying to restore the lost identity of this place.

Q: So, what you are saying is that this agenda to push investment for Rampur is actually for real?

A: Yes! We have just one agenda – to ensure Rampur regains its lost identity of an industrial city again.

Q: You met the chief minister recently. What was that meeting about?

A: Yes. See, under the CM’s stewardship, massive investment is happening. More will happen soon. I am in touch with many such industry leaders, who had moved their business out of Rampur. The CM, too, is in agreement and has asked me to work in this direction. In the last one week itself, investment commitments worth 382 crore have been made.

Q: Who are these people who have already made some commitment?

A: They are all locals, industry people who want to expand their existing set-ups in Rampur, which has several mentha oil factories. Some of them are probably among the biggest in Asia. So, we are trying a mix of two things – one we are encouraging local industry people to expand their businesses and two, we are eyeing heavy investment from industries that so far stayed away.

Q: In a way, all this is good for your politics too as you seek to consolidate your recent gains in a region, from where the BJP traditionally never won.

A: We have given the slogan of “New Rampur”. It is true that apart from Kashmir, Rampur (Sadar) has the most Muslims. But, what did they get all these years? Nothing. So, we are working that once investment starts flowing in, we will be able to work towards “job for each family”. This is not just a commitment, it’s my responsibility now.

Q: So, through Rampur, the idea is to send out a larger message to Muslims in 2024, to back the BJP?

A: My win in Rampur is proof that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s slogan of “sabka, saath, sabka vikas, sabka prayaas and sabka vishwas” is gaining great acceptance. That automatically becomes the mantra for us. Despite canards, there has not been any case of an innocent Muslim being targeted in Yogiji’s government. So, yes, I am hopeful that the Rampur model would now find widespread acceptance across the country.

Q: Heard that many Muslim candidates would be fielded in urban local body polls that would precede the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. So, will this happen in Rampur too?

A: This is an area for our party leadership to delve into.

Q: Now, that you have won a constituency from where Azam Khan and his clan had been winning, will you be soft on Khan or will the political bitterness continue?

A: After winning the polls, I had said that the fight against injustice would gain wings.

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