Taking a jibe at opposition parties' attempt to form a 'grand alliance' against the BJP, Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das Monday said it was like mixing "oil and water".
Interacting with mediapersons at his residence here, he also ruled out early dissolution of the Jharkhand assembly to hold the state election along with that for Lok Sabha, and said "one-nation-one-election" is not possible without a constitutional amendment.
While his party BJP has been strongly advocating for simultaneous polls as an idea to be explored, the Opposition has been saying it was against the federal structure.
Das also said Naxalism was nearing its end in Jharkhand and alleged there are certain anti-national forces that were trying to prevent the state from developing as they felt poverty would facilitate religious conversion.
The chief minister said opposition parties have been rattled by the support Prime Minister Narendra Modi has received from the people and that has forced them to come together.
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However, these parties are not compatible and even if they come together it will not be spontaneous and homogenous, according to the chief minister.
"Tel aur pani kabhi mil sakta hai? (Can oil and water ever mix)?" he asked.
"Tel aur pani milenge toh, na tel hi rahega na pani (When oil and water mix, both will lose their identities)," he added.
"So we are not concerned about any 'mahagathbandhan' (grand alliance). Our party's focus is on how to make it even stronger. Because we have got a leadership which people trust," Das said.
He also called the Congress a party of days gone by. "The Congress era has ended and the BJP era has begun."
"We have BJP workers serving as chief ministers in 15 states. In four states, we have NDA governments. We are marching ahead, the Congress is retreating. In 2019, the Congress party will be finished," he said.
The Congress leadership is not being accepted by regional parties and it has become a "burden" on the country, he said.
"The Congress is not accepted by people. They have ruled the country for over 60 years. Who is responsible for the poverty, starvation, unemployment and poor electricity situation?" he asked.
The chief minister also said he would not propose dissolution of the Jharkhand assembly to hold state polls along with the national election.
The Lok Sabha polls are due in the first half of next year, while the state is scheduled to go to polls later that year.
"Unless there is an amendment in the Constitution, there cannot be one-nation-one-election," Das said.
On the state politics and elections, he said the BJP would win 60 of 81 assembly seats.
He alleged the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and the Congress have "exploited" the tribal population.
"There is no competitor of the BJP in Jharkhand. They all will be cleaned up. The BJP will win more than 60 seats in Jharkhand state polls," he said.
He said that under the current state and central governments, Jharkhand has achieved an economic growth rate of 8.2 per cent and stands second only to Gujarat, the home state of Prime Minister Modi.
"Jharkhand is the first state to have a scheme according to which we charge a token registration fee of just Re 1 if the property is registered in the name of women. Also, we are the only state to give gas stove and first refill free of cost. We have earmarked Rs 300 for the purpose," the chief minister said.
He said his government's "biggest achievement" in the three-and-half years is pushing Naxalism in the state on the back foot.
"Naxalism in Jharkhand is nearing its end. This is the biggest achievement of my government, alongside the development that we have ushered in. We have brought a good surrender policy. Many Naxals have surrendered and those who are not are getting killed. 'Bhay Mukt Jharkhand' (terror-free Jharkhand) is my government's biggest achievement," he said.
Talking about sporadic protests in his state against land acquisition, he said these are "100 per cent sponsored protests".
"The anti-national forces and the Maoists have just one aim and that is to scuttle the development of the state. They mislead the people into protesting. This is what my experience of three-and-half years tells me."
"There are certain anti-national forces that prevent Jharkhand from developing. They (think), if there will be poverty, then there will be religious conversion. These powers want the state and the tribal people to remain poor so that they can be converted. But their businesses have been shut," he said.
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