Days ahead of the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha elections, Uttar Pradesh cabinet minister and BJP's Kanpur candidate Satyadev Pachauri Friday claimed that the Congress has "never made" national security a poll issue, which his party has done and will "immensely benefit" from it.
The Kanpur nominee also claimed that there is a "bigger Modi wave" in the country this year and that the saffron party will return to power with a "thumping majority".
"The Balakot air strike demonstrated that our government at the Centre is serious about the issue of terrorism and accords importance to national security. And that is why national security and nationalism will be the overriding sentiments during the polls. This election is being fought by us now on a much larger perspective than just local issues," Pachauri told PTI in an interview.
He also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's stature among the people of the country "ramped up" after the air strike.
The micro, small and medium industries minister of Uttar Pradesh is pitted against former Union minister and senior Congress leader Sriprakash Jaiswal, and SP candidate Ram Kumar in the Kanpur Lok Sabha seat, which goes to polls on April 29 in the fourth phase of the parliamentary elections.
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"Congress has never made national security an electoral issue," the minister alleged, adding, "Our party, under the leadership of PM Modi, has rightly made the issue of terrorism and national security an electoral issue and this will immensely benefit the BJP in this election."
Asked if there was a 'Modi wave' this time, Pachauri claimed that there is a "much bigger wave" as compared to 2014.
"We will win Kanpur with a huge vote margin, win more seats in UP than last time, and return to power at the Centre with a thumping majority," he claimed.
Both Pachauri (71) and Jaiswal (74) are from Kanpur and actively campaigning, and with the SP-BSP alliance candidate Ram Kumar in the fray, it is a triangular contest in this crucial constituency.
Pachauri though claims that he has an "upper hand" and the "deposits of the two rival candidates will be forfeited".
A section of residents, however, said otherwise. Locals said there will be a "keen contest" between him and Jaiswal, a three-time MP from Kanpur, who had pipped Pachauri in the 2004 general elections with a margin of 5,638 votes.
Pachauri, an MLA from Govind Nagar, said he might have lost the 2004 polls marginally but with the 2014 elections and the "Modi factor" coming into play, his "fortunes will be reversed" this time.
The UP cabinet minister, in fact, uses '#KanpurMangePachauri' slogan in his campaigns online and on the ground.
Asked what Kanpur actually wants, he said, "Kanpur wants clean and green city, proper traffic management system, proper solid waste management system and Kanpur Metro, and I will facilitate all of that once I become the MP."
On a question if party veteran and sitting MP M M Joshi would be joining his campaign, Pachauri said, "Yes, he will come at the appropriate time."
Joshi had won from the Kanpur seat in the 2014 general elections, defeating Sriprakash Jaiswal with a margin of 2,22,946 votes.
The state minister said Kanpur has about 17 lakh voters and nearly 3 lakh of them are Muslims. He claimed that there was no "polarisation of votes in this constituency".
Earlier in the day, he held a press conference here and said, "This election is being fought on the grounds of nationalism and not casteism and nepotism.
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