HVK Archives: I do not believe that the BJP is communal
I do not believe that the BJP is communal - The Times of India
Bharati Bhargava
()
May 8, 1998
Title: I do not believe that the BJP is communal
Author: Bharati Bhargava
Publication: The Times of India
Date: May 8, 1998
Steel tycoon Swaraj Paul, the Lord Paul of Marylebone, 67, who
symbolises the success of Asian entrepreneurial skills overseas,
has been in the news lately in India and Britain.
With the Bofors payoffs case still hogging public attention here,
Lord Paul's just published memoirs Beyond Boundaries have pit t
the spotlight on another political scandal involving Ottavio
Quattrocchi, the Italian firm Snamprogetti's representative who
has been a close friend of Rajiv and Sonia Gandhi. In his book,
Lord Paul known for his proximity to Indira Gandhi, says that R
Prabhu, the then fertiliser minister, Vincent George, Sonia's
current private secretary who was then attached to Rajiv, and
Quattrocchi had tried to influence him to buy equipment from
Snamprogetti for the fertiliser plant he was planning to set up
in India in 1985 when Rajiv was the Prime minister When he did
not oblige Quattrocchi, he fell out with Rajiv.
In an interview with Bharati Bhargava at his Caparo House office
on Baker Street, he calls India's economic reforms a "miserable
failure" and that no political party has a conducive economic
policy.
Q: What do you think of the BJP-led government's ideas on
economic reforms and how will they affect foreign investment in
India?
Reforms that have taken place since 1991 have been a disaster,
failing miserably to lift the whole of India.
When the BJP speaks of continuing the reforms, it is again in a
way double talk. You cannot say you want this and do not want
that. Either you have reforms all the way or opt for a controlled
economy which is equally good if honest people run it. So, the
BJP should make up its mind. This is important because then only
India can achieve its full potential.
My view is that India can manage without foreign investment if
the people work hard with honesty. But if India wants foreign
investment, it has to create an atmosphere which is comfortable
for foreign investors who have a choice of 150 countries. India
needs to make laws which are transparent and clear.
Which economic path should India take?
In India, reforms are commonly confused with foreign investment,
imports etc. But reforms are internal, and foreign investment and
imports are separate businesses. Reforms mean that you should
stop protecting industry and make it free for all. Don't allow
imports but create enough capacity that there is competition in
the country.
Then prices will come down. There should be safeguards for
talented and deserving people who are not well connected to start
industry by raising loans from banks and funds from financial
institutions.
There is a perception that the BJP' has considerable support
among overseas Indians....
The sympathies of the NRIs are with the BJP for two reasons. They
feel that it is very wrong to brand the BJP communal and make it
look untouchable. I genuinely do not believe that the BJP is
communal. Moreover there is no way India can be ruled by a
communal party. The NRIs also support the BJP because they would
like to see the growth of a two-party system in India which will
hopefully evolve in five-ten years.
In your memoirs, you have countered the perception that it took a
long time to persuade Rajiv to enter politics and said this was a
charade for he was as keen to join politics as Mrs Gandhi was to
get him in....
I have known for a long time that Rajiv had political ambitions.
I don't think that a country should ever believe that the man who
becomes the Prime Minister was ever reluctant. I would not be
surprised if Rajiv was interested in politics even in Sanjay's
lifetime. But he might have felt that he was beaten to the race
since Sanjay had already got in there first. I am against the
dynastic tradition which seems to be followed by the sons of so
many Indian politicians today.
I would like to say that my book is about me and not the Gandhi
family. However, I admire Mrs Gandhi but that does not mean she
was flawless.
What are your business plans for India?
We have put up a small steel pressing plant near Delhi in a joint
venture with Maruti to supply car body panels to Maruti. We hope
to expand this. At the moment, we don't have any other plans for
India and we are expanding in the UK and the USA. For a person
sitting in London, it is impossible to do something in India
because there are far too many problems there.
Although I am Chairman of the Caparo group, my three sons now
manage the business. I have more time for British politics and
charities. It has also become my mission to see that the two
million Asians in Britain should be referred to as British and
not British Asians.
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