•A section of the Haryana BJP is said to be opposed to an alliance with you. How will you address this problem?

I believe in taking everybody along. I have no intention to carry baggage from the past. I learn from the past mistakes and then plan the future.

•There is a widespread perception that no non-Congress government can be formed in Haryana without BJP support. Do you also subscribe to this?

If two or three important parties come together, people somehow find that arrangement more credible. I had everything going in my favour in 1996, but I lost out because the BJP forged an alliance with Bansi Lal at the eleventh hour. But then, the same holds good at the Centre too. The greater the number of alliance partners, the greater the credibility of a coalition among people.

•Mayawati has made a promise to install a non-Jat chief minister in Haryana and the Haryana Janhit Congress is also trying to infuse this undercurrent in the state. Don’t you think it would undermine your prospects?

If anybody thinks he can succeed by spewing venom against one particular caste, he is mistaken. Just wait and watch. The people of Haryana will reject such divisive politics.

•When you talk of divisive politics, you must be aware of similar charges against the BJP on account of its commitment to Hindutva. Are you comfortable with the BJP ideology?

We have worked together in the past and we have not faced any problem (due to ideology). In politics, people tend to say anything to malign their opponents. Basically, you can trace a lot of rhetoric to a clash of political interests.