‘Will work for all, but extra push to Dalits’: First-time MP Priya Saroj on House agenda, poll victory

Priya Saroj, 25, is a first-time MP from Uttar Pradesh’s Machhlishahr constituency. She is one of the youngest woman MPs, advocate, and daughter of Tufani Saroj, a three-time MP and incumbent SP MLA from Jaunpur’s Kerakat. 

Newslaundry caught up with Saroj on caste-politics, gender representation in parliament, BJP’s defeat in Ayodhya, safeguarding the constitution and the local issues of her constituency. The lawyer-turned-politician, who won her debut contest, said, “I would not shy away from saying that I belong to the Scheduled Caste.” Excerpts from the interview:

You have won with a margin of more than 35,000 votes, defeating 11 candidates, including two-time BJP MP and veteran leader BP Saroj. How do you see your victory?

Our party won on real issues, because this time voters were aware that the BJP’s political strategy was asking for votes by creating enmity amongst people. We won because we won voter’s trust, and that trust came because we fought the elections on issues, such as the promise for two crore jobs, the elimination of black money, and the MSP law. We even raised the issue of electoral bond scam. 

The voters, especially women voters, knew that I, as a woman MP, would understand their problems better, and they weren’t hesitant with me. The fact is that the BJP’s [former] MP was not even seen after the elections in the constituency, and with the support of the SCs and Dalits, I was able to secure the victory.

Would you still be with the Samajwadi Party if your father was not in the party?  

I chose this party [SP] because whatever my family has, whatever I have, is because of the party. I believe my politics began with this party and will also end with it. I think if my father had not been in politics, maybe I still would have been in a village and would be studying like many of my relatives. 

I wouldn’t deny the fact that to make a name in politics, you have to have a strong financial and political background, and my father has provided me with that. I am not afraid to say that I come from a privileged background. And I have this political privilege because my father has struggled for 15–20 years. He did the hard work so that his children wouldn’t have to go through the same hardships as he did. 

You posted on social media that you have walked in the parliament building with your father. Considering the political force your father is, do you feel any pressure of continuing his legacy?

Yes, definitely. My family doesn’t have a political background. My grandfather was a farmer. My father, through his job, could earn enough just to feed us, but he never had enough funds to join politics. During his days in Mumbai, he did many menial jobs. There, he started taking an interest in politics and struggled for at least 15–20 years. It was in 1999 that he got the Samajwadi Party’s ticket for the first time. He contested the elections by crowd-funding. I saw his struggle – that without a financial and political background, a person belonging to the SC community could become MP three times.

Because in 2014, he lost the elections during the BJP wave. There was pressure on me, knowing that I have political backing and that my father was an MP and is a sitting MLA. I had to give my best, as I was representing my father. I had the challenge of fulfilling voters’ expectations, and I have tried my best to do the same.

You are a practising lawyer in the Supreme Court and now, you have shifted to politics. Do you feel the timing is correct for you, or are you a bit early in the game?

I think this is the perfect time. I completed my law degree in 2022. I started practising only in February-March this year, so I haven’t practised for long. But I believe your destiny actually brings you the right time and the right place. Because, of course, I had thought that I would contest the elections and enter politics. But it will happen so soon – that was a surprise for me too. 

It was my father who had to contest the election. But because he is a sitting MLA, he would have to leave office. So, Akhilesh Yadavji had asked my father that I was already 25-year-old, that I had already completed my law education, and that I should contest. So it was his decision.

In one of his rallies, Akhilesh Yadav said you are a new candidate and a new candidate brings new politics. What is the new politics you will bring?

My friends in college had the point of view that politics isn’t a good field and that one should stay away from it. But I have always believed that if you want to change the system, you have to enter the system. The change can’t come only through social media. I feel happy that we three party members – me, Iqra Hassan, and Pushpendra Saroj – have brought in new youth energy and have broken the age barrier by getting a party’s ticket at just 25 years of age. 

We have sent the message that youth candidates could better understand modern issues. As a young politician, I do not indulge in caste-based politics because I have clear-cut goals. Goals such as the NEET exam, paper leaks, educational quality, better infrastructure, and development. We need leaders who believe in secularism and who want everyone’s growth.

SP and Akhilesh Yadav have been a staunch promoter of PDA. What do you think about it?

I would definitely credit PDA for my win. During the entire election campaign, we said, “Samvidhan bachao, PDA ko aage badhao, aarakshan bachao (save the constitution, promote PDA, save reservations).”. PDA – Peechla, Dalit, and alpsankhyak (backward, Dalit, and minority) – and all the people who come under its ambit have faced discrimination and atrocities. I think the BJP government supports only the development of a few upper-caste, forward people. They don’t want the lower caste or minority to develop and move forward. Their strategy was to make people forget about real issues, such as unemployment, by giving them five-kg of ration for free. 

Through PDA, we explained to the voters that five kg of ration isn’t enough but rather that education will bring bread to your house, lifelong. We highlighted PDA for the people who need upliftment, who need a push, and that we will work for it.

For the last two Lok Sabha elections, UP favoured the BJP. Some SP leaders also joined the BJP before the polls. How do you see this shift in the favour of SP, now that the party has won 37 seats?

When the exit polls came out, we were given only 4-5 seats. We had said even then that it was not “janata ka exit poll lekin BJP ka exit poll (not people’s exit poll but BJP’s exit poll)”. We were sure we would get these many seats. We, in fact, expected 50 seats. 

For the past 10 years, our constitutional agencies’ autonomy, media freedom, and right to freedom of speech and expression have all disappeared. There is a fear amongst people and amongst the media about speaking up. They have misused the ED and the CBI. There’s pressure even on the Supreme Court when it gives any judgement. Our political institutions have weakened, and the BJP has been exerting pressure on all of them. 

If we talk about law and order, they say UP’s law and order have improved in the last 10 years. But, I believe, our respected chief minister doesn’t know the real meaning of law and order. He is often referred to as “Bulldozer baba”. He raids alleged criminals’ houses with JCB. But instead of this, proper legal procedure should be followed. He targets the opposition, the minorities, and Muslims, and this is wrong. There are fake encounters, Hindu-Muslim divisive speeches, but no real conversation around unemployment or other important issues. 

The BJP contested the elections in Ayodhya on Ram Mandir’s pretext. They said vote for us, “hum Ram ko laye hai (we have brought Ram)”. But I always ask, “Ye Ram ko laye hai ya Ram inko laye hai (they have brought Ram or Ram has brought them)?” 

This time, the people, the voters, knew that if they voted over religion again, then roti (food), kapada (clothes), and makaan (house) wouldn’t come. They voted on employment and development. The BJP lost in Ayodhya. Voters understood that building Ram mandir was the Supreme Court’s decision, not of one political party. The money used is the government’s money, the people’s money, and not that of one party. The voters choose a leader for development, to work for them, and not for pooja-path. And so the voters struck them out. 

Of the 10 seats that were won by the BSP in the 2019 polls, SP secured six. Do you think Dalit voters are seeing SP as a better alternative?

We believe that our Behenji, Mayavatiji, didn't campaign to a large extent. She didn’t engage in jan sabhas or public meetings, she didn’t conduct any rallies. What is the reason? For her vote bank, the voters who trust her, she should have been out campaigning, but she wasn’t active. We preached the constitution and appealed to the voters to vote for those who are saving the constitution. I think that is the reason the BSP voters have voted for us. 

They are aware of the fact that it is only the constitution that has granted them the right to vote, to express themselves, to contest, and to educate. This election wasn’t about forming a government or making someone the Prime Minister; rather, it was the election to save the constitution. And because even in villages we appealed to the voters to save the constitution, the BSP voters have put their faith in us. 

The count of women MPs has reduced in this election. How do you see the gender gap in political representation? As a woman and Dalit MP, what issues will you raise in the parliament?

I will raise local issues in parliament. In Pindra, there is Kashi Dwar matter. The farmers have been protesting because their circle rate is very low. They have been given compensation for their lands, but a farmer’s land is of utmost importance to him. 

In Banaras, the Amul factory has been inaugurated. It’s the people’s land and their labour for the construction, but employment is being given to people from Gujrat. The people here should benefit from it. 

The third issue is that women hardly come out of their houses. We are thinking about organising meet-ups every month for such women. We wish to educate them about their rights so that they can fight their own battles. I feel happy that now, as a woman MP, women who call me don’t feel helpless anymore. They are free to approach me. I think even if 4-5 women take on my lead and join politics, it would mean a lot to me. 

I will raise the issue of the Women’s Reservation Act’s execution and the delay in conducting the caste census. Of course, the number of women MPs in the Lok Sabha is less. I think to increase those numbers, I would have to work in my constituency. I will try to educate, inspire, and nudge women in the same direction.

There are some major issues you have talked about in your election campaign, such as unemployment, inflation, better roads and education for the backward, problems faced by farmers, and electricity. What are your plans regarding them?  

In all the jan sabhas we did, there were some issues that came up. Like there is a scarcity of beds in many hospitals, there are no sanitation workers in hospitals, in schools the teacher-student ratio is incorrect, there is poor quality of education, sometimes transformers burn out because of heavy loads, and some villages until this day have no roads for transport. These are the issues that I have noticed and will be working towards. 

Akhilesh Yadav called UP’s voters ‘intelligent’. Now these voters will keep an eye on your work. Are you ready to be held accountable by your voters? 

I am still new to this world. I am still learning and evolving. But I will prioritise the problems of the people in my constituency and local or national issues and bring them up in parliament. As it is the duty of the opposition to strongly bring up national issues, I will perform that duty. I think this is the first time in 10 years that the BJP is facing such strong opposition, and so I feel elated that if a bill comes up in the Lok Sabha, it will be debated like it should be in a democracy. 

I will not make fake promises like the BJP that I will transform my constituency into Paris or New York. But good roads, better electricity, clean water, quality education, and standard hospitals will be the priorities.

What would you want to say about your status as a Dalit woman who is now an MP? 

I will not shy away from saying that I belong to the Scheduled Caste. I know that in villages, casteism, discrimination, and atrocities still exist. I am happy that I have won the elections, I will work for everyone but I will give that extra push to the Dalits, to the marginalised. Because I want people from all backgrounds to develop and I will work and raise my voice about the same in the parliament. 

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