‘Religion, caste and reservations are issues where people don’t spare those who disturb the balance’

Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole steered Congress to its position as the state’s single-largest party, having won 13 of 17 LS seats it contested as part of MVA. Having defeated the BJP-Shinde Sena-Ajit Pawar NCP combine, Patole tells TOI that BJP failed in “money politics” and that it instigated caste groups for political gain but instead faced people’s anger. Edited excerpts.Were you expecting the big Maharashtra vote?Maharashtra results were good because of Rahul Gandhi. Had he not taken out the two Bharat Jodo Yatras and not liberated people from BJP’s carefully crafted perception that ‘Modi is god’, and from fear of agencies, it would have been “400 paar” for sure. One man went out and mobilised people. Of course, allies contributed to this effort, but Rahul’s effort was pioneering and decisive. Even Advani said Rahul is this era’s ‘nayak’. In UP too, where Akhilesh Yadav got the mandate, Rahul played a big role. I’m not praising him because he’s a Congress boss, but because he shattered the illusion about Modi.What worked on the ground for Congress and MVA?It’s no miracle. It’s a normal, popular response to the way BJP arrogantly broke political parties and didn’t even spare farmers and youth. Maharashtra has a different culture, the Shahu-Phule-Ambedkar ideology that Congress espouses. Here, nobody can be scared into submission. It’s different from Madhya Pradesh or any other place. So, our vote, the secular vote, consolidated.Even where we were losing, we were just about 4% behind BJP. In contrast, BJP’s OBC votes shifted to us because of our leadership. They wanted to indulge in politics of money power but failed. We did well in Vidarbha and Marathwada. We failed in a couple of seats in north Maharashtra because of seat-sharing. I had asked for seats to be given on merit, but Shiv Sena and NCP thought differently. So, we lost there. Else, even in the north, we’d have decimated BJP. We lost there because of our own mistakes.Did the agitations over reservations hurt BJP in the state?BJP’s caught in a web of its own making. Religion, caste and reservations are issues where people don’t spare those who disturb the balance. BJP told communities seeking quotas — Marathas, Dhangars etc — that “vote for us in the state and at Centre, and we’ll put you in the categories you want”. So, BJP was rightly asked why it hadn’t fulfilled its promise. Who’ll trust them now? Our stand is clear — carry out a caste census, remove the 50% ceiling on quotas, but BJP is against it.Can BJP surprise on policy or political front ahead of assembly polls?BJP has nothing left to offer. At best, they’ll announce a package. That is Modi’s style — ₹50,000cr, ₹1L cr. But there’s not much time left. You can’t give much to farmers, and that’s not their intent either. They can’t bring down inflation or provide jobs in a day. They’ll do some social engineering in ticket distribution, but it’ll have no impact. I have all the formulas to counter that. See how I flipped them in Vidarbha, where even Gadkari barely escaped defeat. MVA will win assembly polls with ease.They may try to disturb MVA, but I can’t predict how or what they’ll do. BJP cannot digest this defeat easily. So, there must be something up their sleeve. If the three MVA parties stay united, BJP knows it’ll be defeated. Let’s see what ideas come to their mind. We are sure MVA will stay intact. Congress isn’t worried. Maharashtra is known for Shivaji. When Aurangzeb came to rule here, they called Shivaji a “chuha”. He had no army, was the son of a sardar. But Shivaji tackled them all. The face of Maharashtra is Shahu-Phule-Ambedkar, and that is the face of Congress. Did defection of seniors throw you off?A family that’s peaceful is stable and strong. If there’s disturbance, it’s weak. The disturbing elements left the party, we’re fine now. Rahul Gandhi also said, “don’t try to persuade them to stay.” He never spoke to any of them, and people taught them a lesson. People stood by the party. It was said Congress had no face in Maharashtra.I wasn’t born with a silver spoon in my mouth but am connected to the people. We won Nanded, despite Ashok Chavan joining BJP. We won three seats in Marathwada, one in Mumbai. In Bhandara-Gondiya, Praful Patel led the campaign with a team of 25. I was alone. Our candidate was an ordinary doctor. He won. Did the defections hurt us?How will OBC-Maratha conflicts impact assembly polls?Maratha leadership has shifted to BJP over the last decade. But look at Manoj Jarange. He was a taluk youth Congress president years ago and went on to fight a social battle. It was BJP’s strategy to pit OBCs against Marathas — it lost both.Do state party seniors respect you as Congress chief?Maharashtra’s politicians are born with ‘golden’ spoons in their mouths. Some have no political ground. And they keep slipping. Tell me, did I slip or rise? It’s good if I’m underestimated.