On caste census, "washing machine" politics, drones, airports... Brut caught up with Jyotiraditya Scindia on his campaign trail in Madhya Pradesh. #IndiaVotes
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00:00If I hadn't changed the government in 2020, it would have been 6,000 rupees.
00:05I don't worry about the heat.
00:07Just before leaving the house, like it was taught in the olden days.
00:11Isn't it right?
00:24Investment banker in his previous avatar,
00:26power minister in the UPA government,
00:28Union Minister for Civil Aviation and Steel,
00:30who's won the Guna seat multiple times, like his grandmother and father,
00:34losing the seat in 2019, but now contesting from the BJP ticket.
00:38Jyotiraditya Sindhya, thank you so much for speaking to Brute.
00:41Thank you for having us.
00:42The BJP has been labelled a washing machine after a bunch of political leaders
00:46with investigations pending against them. Join the party.
00:50What impact do you think this has had on the BJP's image?
00:54What the opposition doesn't understand is that
00:59if anyone with a tarnished image enters your party, it's fine.
01:06But if anyone with a tarnished image, so-called tarnished image,
01:10enters the BJP, then it's a washing machine.
01:14Anyone and everyone is welcome in the BJP.
01:16The law will take its own course.
01:18And if you're found guilty, the party will spare no one.
01:23There is a legal process that follows its own course.
01:27And there is a political process.
01:29And those two should not be merged.
01:31Because you're in a political party doesn't mean that the legal process will not go on.
01:35The legal process will go on.
01:37Speaking of the opposition, Rahul Gandhi has said that it is his life's mission
01:41to now have a caste census. What are your views on the caste census?
01:45The very party that opposed the caste census,
01:48the very party that opposed the Mandal Commission,
01:51and it was a non-Congress government that actually brought in the Mandal Commission,
01:57is now talking about caste census.
02:00The one thing that the Congress Party needs to learn is that people are not fools.
02:05You can fool some of the people some of the time, but not all of the people all of the time.
02:09And the Congress Party consistently speaks with a forked tongue.
02:12If there is someone that has helped the backward classes, the SCs and the STs,
02:17it is Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
02:19The largest proportion of SC, ST and OBC MPs are in this past tenure of the Lok Sabha.
02:28The largest proportion of SC, ST and OBC ministers is in the current cabinet.
02:35So I think the Congress Party has a lot of introspection to do.
02:39And a party that is bankrupt on ideology, a party that is bankrupt on leadership,
02:45a party that is bankrupt on human resource,
02:49and a party that is probably bankrupted itself,
02:53has little to offer to the people of India.
02:56You lost your seat from Guna in 2019.
02:59What are you doing consciously different this time in order to seal a victory?
03:03Obviously, there were some failings on my part.
03:05If there weren't any failings on my part, then we would have not had that result.
03:09And I have tried to, over the last four to five years,
03:12consciously try and address whatever those shortcomings could possibly be.
03:17Number one. Number two, I have always maintained, and you heard me in my speech as well,
03:22that the most important thing for me in my life is my relationship with the people.
03:27And politics for me is not the end goal.
03:30The end goal is public service.
03:33And politics is a means towards achieving that end and not more than that.
03:38And therefore, for me, that connection is most important.
03:42And even the five years that I was not officially a representative of the people,
03:47unofficially, I still did everything possible in my capability.
03:52And you heard that in my speeches also, whether it was through medical service,
03:58whether it was through Ola Vrishti, whether it was in the bar, whether it was in Corona,
04:03my connection is one from the heart.
04:06The BGP manifesto focuses quite a bit on aviation.
04:09What kind of transformation can we expect in small towns receiving these new airports?
04:15Give us a sense of that.
04:16See, I'll tell you, the whole paradigm has changed with regard to civil aviation.
04:22Earlier, the only raison d'etre for setting up an airport in a city was that it must
04:30present itself as either a tourism destination or as an investment destination.
04:37And only then can a case be made for an airport to be set up there.
04:41Today, only cities that have an airport would have the potential to develop as
04:47an ecosystem for economic value addition, whether it's through manufacturing,
04:52industry, or whether it is through tourism or otherwise.
04:56So, the whole paradigm has flipped.
04:58And therefore, you've seen the growth of airports in India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi,
05:04which has been phenomenal.
05:06Seventy-four airports in 65 years, and now including water drones and heliports,
05:12close to about 160, where there are 159 already.
05:16Adil, last time in your interview with us, and I quote, you had said,
05:19drones are a revolution whose time has come in India.
05:22You had said that India will be a global drone hub by 2030.
05:26How far have we reached there?
05:28In many ways, the idea of a drone today is embedded in the psyche of every
05:36Indian across the length and breadth of our country.
05:39I dare ask you, but if you go to any wedding today, or if you go to any
05:47entertainment event, the one thing that you will always find there,
05:52which has become ubiquitous today, is a drone.
05:57Right. The drone shots have to be there.
06:00I'll tell you a story of about seven days ago. I went to a village in
06:05Bamori, which is part of my constituency, and I addressed a gathering.
06:13And after that, I needed to use the facilities. So, I went to this farmer's house,
06:20and I used, kindly he allowed me to use his facilities, so I used his facilities.
06:25And then he said, one minute, I need you to wait. So, I said, why?
06:30He said, I have the franchisee of a drone. Okay.
06:35And so, he then took out, not only the drone, he took out his whole vehicle.
06:41So, he had a Tempo. And the Tempo was not powered by diesel.
06:47The Tempo was an EV Tempo. So, a farmer in a village with an EV Tempo,
06:55the shutters went up, and the drone was in there. And all the equipment that
07:01needs to go to spray fertilizer and pesticides was inside the Tempo.
07:07And he said, I've got the franchise, and guess what? So, I said, what?
07:11So, he said, I've got the license for operating the drone from where? So, I said, from where?
07:16So, he said, from your MITS college in Gwalior, Madhav Institute of Technology and Sciences.
07:22We've set up a drone center there. It's a state government institution built by my ancestors.
07:28And so, he learned piloting of drones in Gwalior from Bamori.
07:32Then went and got his Tempo and his drone. And now he's setting up. I said, did you get the order?
07:38He says, sir, we got the order. About 100 farmers have booked with me.
07:43Now, we just need the fitting of the drone. After that, my business will start.
07:49And I'm talking about it in a village in Bamori. Forget about Bombay and Delhi and Calcutta and Bangalore and everywhere else.
07:57So, there are three different segments of this. And all three segments are growing exponentially.
08:02Prime Minister has put together a scheme as part of a budgetary allocation, close to about 1500 crores,
08:09which will be devoted to training our nano-drone ladies.
08:13And so, therefore, close to about 5000 women will be trained to fly drones.
08:18In 60 seconds, why should young India vote for BJP? What is Sindhya's guarantee?
08:23The BJP guarantees you a vibrant India. The BJP guarantees you an Atmanirbhar Bharat.
08:30The BJP guarantees you an India that will become a Vishwa Guru.
08:35The BJP guarantees you a partnership with 140 crore Indians to build on that dream of a self-reliant India
08:45and transform that into a reality under the leadership of Narendra Modi.
08:50Come, be part of this transformation of Mother India into a world leader,
08:57under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP.
09:01My last question is on a personal note. Could you give us a glimpse into what kind of a father you are?
09:06We were on the trail yesterday with your son on the campaign trail.
09:09I'm a very proud father. And I hope he doesn't hear this.
09:15But at the same time, my wife and I both have tried very hard to inculcate in our children,
09:27my son and my daughter, very grounded values, very grounded beliefs, a good moral system.
09:39And most importantly, try to nurture them into good human beings.
09:46Jyotiraditya Sindhya, thank you so much for speaking to Brut.
09:49Thank you so much. Thank you. Pleasure. As always.