I have been working with farmer movements for years, being from the same area where I am contesting elections, I have had a bonding with farmers and have always wanted to work for them. Farmers are the backbone of our economy and their causes have to be foremost. This is why I decided to plunge into politics.
I am with the BJP because I agree with its philosophy and the promises it is making. They have a vision and that vision makes sense for the betterment of our country. There is a certain stability in the party and that makes for a better government.
There is the accusation about BJP being a Hindutva party and not secular. But is all the progress and the development of a state like Gujarat Hindutva? It is not a battle between Rahul Gandhi and Narendra Modi – it is a battle for the most important priorities of this country at the present moment.
I did not join the AAP as it was believed I would, because as a party they have no policies. They do not have a national vision. They make a lot of noise, but where are the stability factors? How do they plan to unite the country and under what issues? But I do admire Anna Hazare, having been with him in the early days of the anti-corruption movement.
Life as a contestant in these elections may be not as disciplined as during the Army days, but they are strenuous. My days have been longer after retiring. Starting a day at 6 am and working well past midnight, especially during campaigns such as the Janatantra Yatra, is pretty normal now. But I am enjoying it because I am with my people all the time. It is something I have always liked.
My family was surprised with my joining politics and did not quite like my decision. I think initially they had reservations about us disturbing the comfort zone. But I think they have now got used to my idiosyncrasies.
Tremendous amount of work needs to be done for defence in India, going ahead. First, somebody needs to review all our procedures of procurement of arms and defence equipment. Second, so many of the defence forces’ requirements raised time and again, starting with the Kargil Review Committee, have been since neglected. None of the recommendations seem to have been implemented. Starting from the integration of the Ministry of Defence with the services headquarters to buying and building the equipment and infrastructure to improve our preparedness, a lot needs to be done.
Unfortunately, Indians have forgotten what civilian control of defence actually means. It means political control, and not bureaucratic control. That is the greatest cause of suffering for defence forces today.
Doing this is extremely important to prepare ourselves for the future. People often ask me who our real enemy is, China or Pakistan. China is a neighbour, we can live comfortably with it. But somewhere, it has tried to show an expansionist strain in its policies – whether you look at Tibet or at Arunachal Pradesh – which it calls South Tibet. There is something wrong out there and we need to be careful about it. China is not only bigger than Pakistan, it has more resources and a larger military. It also has large nuclear and conventional arsenals. Obviously it is a bigger threat.