Ensconced on a sofa in his second-floor suite in Dehradun's Hotel Madhban, Bharatiya Janata Party president K Jana Krishnamurthy gives curt instructions to local party workers. Some are being reprimanded for the absence of BJP banners at important locations in the city, and an MLA is advised not to worry about the party's electoral prospects.

The BJP chief seems sure of where his party is headed, and dismisses suggestions of a possible Congress government in Uttaranchal as wishful thinking. Excerpts from an interview with Tara Shankar Sahay:

Could you comment on reports that Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's rally in Dehradun failed to evoke the desired response among voters in the city?

Let me tell you, my first question to my party workers was precisely that -- what kind of response did the rally get? I was told that it was overwhelming, the response was excellent. Atal Bihari Vajpayee is a universal star who far outshines his contemporaries. His oratorial skills, as is well known, cannot be matched by politicians who are self-styled national leaders. You can safely say that he commands the love and respect of the masses wherever he goes in the country. You cannot say that of any other leader from any party.

Who is the target of your barb, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi or Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav?

All those who are dreaming of replacing the Vajpayee government.

So you are optimistic that the BJP will retain power in Uttaranchal?

Optimistic is the wrong word, I am fully confident that we will return to power with a comfortable majority.

Samajwadi Party star campaigner Amitabh Bachchan is lapping up public praise for his campaign. Please comment.

We don't hire any cinema actors or heroes on the eve of the election. People who canvass for us are either party members or sympathisers. Shatrughan Sinha was scheduled to leave on a foreign tour quite some time ago. He talked to me before he went abroad and emphasised that he would campaign for our party before the last phase of the polls. He is our MP and a senior party member, unlike Mr Amitabh Bachchan who is not a member of the Samajwadi Party, but is simply obliging his friends.

I am told that in Uttar Pradesh, Amitabh does not address any public meeting, he merely sings and dances. A man of his stature, who dominated the Hindi film world for quite some time and enjoyed the affection of the people, shouldn't be made to dance and sing to attract crowds for Mulayam Singh.

What was the nature of your party's complaint to the Election Commission against Amitabh in this context?

We did not complain about Amitabh's singing and dancing, but about the fact that the Samajwadi Party used these occasions to distribute largesse, including artificial limbs, to lure voters and also held blood donation camps. That is patently against the Election Commission's code of conduct.

How do you explain media reports that the winds of change are blowing over Uttaranchal?

(Laughs) I wish the media good luck, but I also wish myopia does not become one of its failings. We are used to criticism. A section of the media, off and on, has been predicting doom for the National Democratic Alliance government for quite some time. We are here to stay.

Is your party aware that rebels who were denied tickets are joining hands with the opposition for their avowed objective of pulling down the state government?

They are a pathetic lot. We gave them several warnings and expelled them when their anti-party activities became intolerable. We waited for the date of withdrawal. You cannot call them rebels any more, because they are not in our party. We are firm that indiscipline in the BJP will not be tolerated.

How do you assess the chances of the Samajwadi Party?

That is something that Mulayam Singh Yadav knows best. After all, his party workers are saying that Amitabh Bachchan has boosted its prospects. That means its image needed severe boosting. The rest is up to you to conclude.

There are reports that Hindi film star Hema Malini is going to campaign for the BJP.

If she does, she certainly will not be singing and dancing. As I said, if people are campaigning for our party, it is because they believe in our policies.

Sonia Gandhi is holding a rally in which, according to her party workers here, she will respond to the attack on her by Prime Minister Vajpayee in Dehradun. Do you see a Vajpayee-Sonia war of words?

I will wait for her speech. If we need to react, I will react.

The Congress chief has said that people should be ready to replace the BJP-led government at the Centre and the states?

At least, that will give some solace to the Congress party.

Elections 2002: Full Coverage

The Rediff Interviews