HVK Archives: The allies cannot be told to love us and love our friends (interview with M. Venkaiah)
The allies cannot be told to love us and love our friends (interview with M. Venkaiah) - The Indian Express
Sharad Gupta
()
February 3, 1999
Title: The allies cannot be told to love us and love our friends (interview with M. Venkaiah)
Author: Sharad Gupta
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: February 3, 1999
Bharatiya Janata Party general secretary M. Venkaiah Naidu was
recently given an additional responsibility - coordinating
between the party and the government. Party insiders think the
difficult job is made easy because of Naidu's rapport with
senior leaders in the party and the government. Sharad Gupta
spoke to the man who also holds charge of Karnataka and Andhra
Pradesh and is the party's spokesperson. Excerpts:
Q: There have been a number of attacks on Christian missionaries
during the past few months. Isn't there a pattern in them?
A: An impression is being created by our rivals that all is not
well under the BJP Government. But this is not true. There
have been attacks on the Christians earlier also such a hue and
cry was never raised. As against a national average of 230
attacks per year, there were only 60 such incidents last year.
The opposition does not realise the harm they are causing the
country on international fora.
Q: But the difference this time is that the violence is reported
to he perpetrated by members of Bajrang Dal and the VHP.
A: It's a he being spread by our rivals. The latest incident
being the allegation levelled by Orissa Chief Minister to save
his chair. Dara Singh, the main accused in Keonjhar incident in
which an Australian priest was burnt alive with his two
children, was associated with Congress ministers and not Bajrang
Dal, as the Congress is trying to make it out.
Anyway, law and order is a state subject and the Chief Minister
should own moral responsibility for its deterioration.
Q: Don't you think there is some truth in Madan Lal Khurana's
allegations that a section of the Sangh Parivar was working to
destabilise the Atal Behari Vajpayee Government?
A: It's the BJP and not Sangh Parivar which is running the
Government We do share a common perception but there is no
interference in running the Government. The RSS is a source of
inspiration for the BJP and we are proud of it.
The RSS is only a source of inspiration, it does not control the
BJP Let me stress, the BJP is in no way related to Sangh
Parivar. We are not controlled from Nagpur (RSS headquarters).
They even do not want to control the Government.
They have their own views and we are not bound to go by their
views. Our affiliates are exactly what the Centre of Indian
Trade Union (CITU) to the CPM Government in West Bengal. CITU
stages dharna to demand higher wages but that does not mean that
they are destabilising the Jyoti Basu Government.
Q: A number of BJP leaders have RSS background, and they keep on
shifting from one wing of the RSS to the other, including the
BJP.
A: The RSS and the BJP, I already told you, are not wings of
each other. They are our well-wishers not enemies and there can
be interchange between friendly organisations.
Q: But what do you do when some BJP MPs having RSS or Vishwa
Hindu Parishad background, like Uma Bharti, start opposing
party's economic policies.
A: Nobody criticised the Government's policies whether on
Patents Bill or Insurance Regulatory Authority Bill after a
decision had been taken by the party to table it in Parliament
and our stand explained to party MPs. Criticising before its
contents are explained does not amount to indiscipline.
Q: How do then, you react to incessant criticism of the
Government from parties supporting it?
A: Allies have their own opinion of the RSS. They cannot be
told to love us and love our friends. They are free to express
their views on the RSS but we wish they should discuss such
matters in coordination committee meeting of the coalition
Government and not in the media.
We are gradually evolving the dharma of coalition and all
onstituents will have to learn to adhere to it.
Q: Why is there so much disenchantment within party cadre
against the Government, which even reflected itself in Bangalore
national executive meeting of the party?
A: It was a free and frank discussion where we discussed our
shortcomings that were responsible for electoral setbacks we
received in Delhi and Rajasthan and how to rectify them.
We also planned our strategy to contest the Goa, Andhra Pradesh
and Karnataka Assembly elections due in November this year.
There were absolutely no differences among the participants.
Q: Why did the Prime Minister then have to assert the
Government's supremacy over the party?
A: The Prime Minister just wanted to say that there was need for
consultation between the party and the government but due to his
adherence to the National Agenda of the coalition Government, he
should have the last say in matters of Governance. Since the
party too accepted National Agenda we have to abide by it.
There was indeed a need for consultations on issues beyond
National Agenda. Kushabhauji too announced his reluctance for
back-seat driving because the driver in this case, belongs to
the BJP.
Q: You have been asked to coordinate the party and the
Government. When is the coordination committee going to be
formed?
A: The committee is not the issue, coordination is. The process
of coordination had been set rolling immediately after the
Bangalore session.
But we want to keep only on informal level. We could form a
formal committee at a later stage, as and when the need arises.
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