HVK Archives: Cong. has become a more inward-looking, self-seeking team
Cong. has become a more inward-looking, self-seeking team - The Sunday Observer
Shivani Singh
()
January 4-10, 1998
Title: Cong. has become a more inward-looking, self-seeking team
Author: Shivani Singh
Publication: The Sunday Observer
Date: January 4-10, 1998
The congress got a rude shock when P Rangarajan Kumaramangalam
walked over to the Bharatiya Janata Party. The move came as a
surprise in the context of Kumaramangalam's political upbringing
In the Congress tradition, which runs contrary to the BJP's
ideology. For three generations, the Kumaramangalam family has
subscribed to the left-of-centre ideology -father Mohan
Kumaramangalam was a Communist Party leader before he joined the
Congress and grandfather Dr P Subbarayan was a veteran
Congressman.
Aunt Geeta Mukherjee of the Communist Party of India is not too
happy with her nephew's decision. "But the defence is mine," says
Ranga, as he is popularly known. "What choice do I have, would
they tell me? The advantage is the BJP's.
In an exclusive interview with SHIVANI SINGH, the forty-five year-
old lawyer, whose induction has been a qualitative gain for the
saffron party, explained why he left the Congress and joined the
BJP: Excerpts:
What will be the effect of Sonia Gandhi's decision to campaign
for the Congress? Will it change the party's state of affairs?
Sonia Gandhi faces a problem. Whom is she going to campaign for?
It is obviously going to be Sitaram Kesri and his set-up. How
much credibility can she infuse in a party already dead? I think
she will be quite handicapped in her endeavours.
What effect will her entry have on those who have left the
Congress to join other parties?
There will not be any effect on those who have left to join
parties like the BJP and the Samajwadi Party. But it will
definitely stop people who have plans to leave. They win probably
give the leadership another chance now. Also, those who have
started parallel outfits and not joined major parties might
consider returning.
For a party that is gasping for breath, Sonia Gandhi's arrival is
oxygen. But it will not help the body to get up and run: it may
only keep it alive in intensive care.
What effect will her move have on the BJP's electoral prospects?
I don't see any. The BJP's plank has never been anti-Sonia. But
her arrival will certainly raise certain issues. The point is
that the BJP's plank is an able prime minister and a good and
stable government. Sonia Gandhi's campaigning does not make the
Congress an option for a stable government.
But the BJP was cashing In on the Congress's loss of credibility.
Won't that change now?
No, the Congress's lost reputation will not be recovered by
Sonia. She is going to face quite a problem dealing with the
entire situation - giving credibility to people who are not worth
her support.
Do you think her decision was delayed? It could have come when
the Congress was under strong attack for withdrawing support to
the United Front on the Jain Commission report, or when people
were leaving the party in droves. Now it almost seems like an
exercise to save Sitaram Kesri, for much harm has already been
done to the Congress.
I believe her thinking must have been to try to save a party
which has already become a terminal case, to infuse some life so
that it doesn die out. I do not think Kesri and Company wanted
her to come.
The Congress is facing a major crisis. No party depends on a
single individual like it is now. But it is not left with much
choice. It has become a more inward-looking, self-seeking team
which cannot look beyond its nose. They can't even comprehend
what is going wrong. Rhetoric does not work. The younger lot will
not follow them. They want a future, opportunities and growth.
Of which there is none in the Congress.
What was your major grouse with the party?
My grievances were building up over the years. I had written a
letter to the party high command in 1993 when I threw up my
ministership. My only problem was that I was able to see what
was happening. The party since then has got transformed into a
family affair. Tickets are given to the relatives of top leaders.
The situation in 1993 was such that you could almost see
dynasties coming up.
But you can be attacked on the same count. Your family has been
in the Congress for long, with you being the third generation.
Didn't your background give you an edge again those who did not
have such backing?
Ours was a completely different case with each generation
struggling on its own to come up in life. Starting with student
politics, I climbed every little rung for my way up. My
grandfather died in 1962. My father became an MP in 1971 and
died in 1973. And I became an MP in 1984.
But in the Congress there are leaders who themselves do not have
much and are trying to replace themselves with their children.
Nobody says political donations are a crime, but if you are
lining your own purse, then that's another story.
Most leaders do not really bother about national Interest. The
backward classes, minorities, and the weaker sections are
completely Ignored by the Congress. Stage by stage, each section
which called for attention has been alienated. This was a major
setback. And when the leadership started playing games within the
party, like capturing power by rigging elections and fielding
their cronies as party candidates, the situation went totally out
of hand. It is most unfortunate that a great movement like the
Congress has now become such a mess.
After subscribing to a left-of-centre ideology for so long, It
was not expected that you would choose the BJP.
I chose the BJP because it is the only national party we have in
our country today. Be it the left parties or parties like the
Bahujan Samaj Party, they are all regional, both in their
approach and scope. The Congress is eating itself up. So I am
left with no choice but to join the BJP. Though I have come under
much attack because of this move, I see no future for myself in
any other party.
Secondly, the BJP has finally realized that social harmony is
important and divisiveness will not help. They are the only ones
who want stable growth. If it is the question of evolution of a
political party, the BJP has evolved.
What is the validity of a secular front In the current scenario?
The people of the country are convinced that there is nothing
like a secular front in the country. A genuinely secular party
would he one which could claim that they have never discriminated
against any party worker on the basis of caste or religion. There
is none of that sort. For instance, in the Congress, when they
chose candidates, major factors involved were only these. It is a
part of the election strategy of all parties. Secularism is more
of a sham than real conviction.
The BJP has been highlighting the anti-corruption issue, but now
with an alliance with Jayalalitha Jayaram's AIADMK, it doesn't
hold much weight.
This is definitely a sensitive situation. Charges against her
exist. The BJP has taken note of this. But when you say the law
is equal for all, then why set up a special court for her? Would
they have a special court for an public servants who are charged
with corruption? They won't. It goes to show that there is a
tendency on the part of the DMK-TMC combine to axe her, to
victimize her. They know she will rise again and before she does,
they want to fix her.
Yes, corruption should be eradicated as a matter of principle,
but you cannot victimize one and let another walk free.
The BJP has presumably made inroads in the South. How do you see
Its prospects?
In the South, there is always a place for a national party. The
Congress is dead in the South. So there is no scope but for the
BJP.
There are often talks that certain southern parties would split
or secede from. India. But this is all wrong. There are no
secessionist tendencies. When it comes to central politics, they
are very national-minded and want a national party to rule. For
their state, they want their own regional party. If Jayalalitha
has opted for the BJP, it is a clear Indication that for the
southerners, the BJP has blossomed into a national party.
What will the Congress sell in the South? Kesri? The United Front
is still not sure whom it can sell. Jayalalitha is selling [A B]
Vajpayee's name because she knows it sells.
Where win you contest from?
I would prefer Salem, my constituency in Tamil Nadu for the last
13 years. But I have left the decision-making to the leadership.
Do you think the BJP will be able to accommodate all those who
have joined the party lately?
That depends on what you mean by "accommodation". If it means a
ticket to contest the election or a ministerial berth, I would
say I am more interested in rendering service to the party. But
as for the others, I think they should be accommodated well.
There is enough space for all.
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