Author: Sakina Yusuf
Khan
Publication: The Sunday
Times of India
Date: December 3, 2000
None of the Capital's
glitterati was prepared for the extremely ugly exchanges that took place
at a social evening last month between Congress MP Mani Shankar and Samajwadi
Party leader Amar Singh. Starting off as a wordy duel, it degenerated
into a physical one, much to the embarrassment of all present. However,
it was a thoroughly unrepentant Amar Singh who gave STOI a blow-by-blow
account of what happened. Excerpts from an interview:
Q. What was the
provocation for the brawl at Satish Gujral's party?
A. In spite of
being greatly provoked, I kept my cool for a very long time. The
party was in honour of H.K. Dua, press advisor to the Prime Minister
and a good friend of mine, who'd recently got married. Practically
everybody who matters was there. Mani came up to me absolutely drunk
and charged: 'You are a racist. You prevented Sonia Gandhi from becoming
the Prime Minster only because she's a foreigner.' I kept quiet.
Q. Surely that
wasn't provocation enough?
A. Mani didn't
stop at that. He called me an opportunist, a political weather cock.
I countered: I was with Mulayam and I'm still with him. It's you
who, when denied a Congress seat, went over to Mamata and when she spurned
you, you came back calling her names. Mani shot back: 'You are a
broker of industrialists, you are Ambani's dog.' Without losing my shirt,
I replied: Fine, as far as the Ambanis are concerned you people are virgins.
Your party has not taken a single penny from them. As for proximity
with industrialists the Congress has been in close touch with many of them.
I told him: Yeh tu nahi, sharaab bol raha hai. To which Mani replied:
'Mera dil aur dimaag bol raha hai'. Continuing in the same vein I
said: Mote Mani Shankar, sharaab ke nashe mein dhhut tera sara shareer
dol raha hai.
Q. He was not offended?
A. He wanted to
provoke me. When I didn't get provoked, he said, 'What sort of a
Thakur are you?' He just wanted to pick up a fight.
Q. Why would he
do that?
A. So that he
could go back and tell Soniaji, I fixed Amar Singh, I'm the only one who
could do it, and thus ensure a berth in the Congress Working Committee.
I told Mani, I know your gameplan.
I'm not going to help
you get into Soniaji's charmed circle. To which he said, 'You are
under-estimating my clout with her, I write all her speeches. I did
it for Rajiv'. Sure, how can anybody forget those infamous lines,
'Mein VP Singh ki naani yaad karadoonga. God help the leader and
the party which has a speech writer like you, I replied. He gave
a maa ki gali. I said politely, but firmly, I can also abuse your
mother, but I won't stoop so low. For god's sake don't provoke the
beast in me.
Q. But he did?
A. He was irrepressible...
He said, 'We belong to the Oxford and Cambridge set... your leader
can't even articulate himself in English... Oh that bloody Mulayam
- he looks just like me.
It could be because my
father visited UP at some point. Why don't you check with Mulayam's
mother'. This was crossing all limits. I grabbed him by the
neck and did what I had to do.
Q. You beat him
up?
A. I did much
less than what he deserved.
Q. You said that
knowing his gameplan you refused to get provoked. Why did you get
provoked'?
A. Mulayam Singh
is very close to my heart. He is my leader. I'm sorry about
what I did. I don't think it was right.
Q. So you regret
what you did?
A. I don't.
I'm human, not an angel. I got provoked when he talked about my leader's
mother in such a derogatory manner. As a member of civil society
I'm ashamed.
Q. You embarrassed
your hosts!?
A. If the hosts
invite such characters, give them too much to drink and don't intervene
when things get out of control, I'm sorry, I can't help it.
Q. Is such behaviour
befitting of MPs?
A. Normally, in
such an episode, people's sympathies are with the victim. But here
the person who was kicked, enjoyed no sympathy
Q. That may he
your perception.
A. That's the
truth. It was people's collective desire to put him in his place.
Even the hosts sent me flowers the next day with a 'sorry' note.
Q. Maybe they sent
him one as well.
A. I don't know,
I didn't check. But they told everybody that it was Mani who started
it all.
Q. Given all this,
should there he g code of conduct for guests? Should defaulters he kept
out?
A. I don't care
whether I'm invited or not. I don't care if it causes embarrassment
but I'm not prepared to take s .. t from the likes of Mani Shankar
Aiyar.
Q. What is the
solution to such row-dyism?
A. Don't invite
unsavoury characters who can't hold their drink. If you must, Emit
them to two pegs. If they exceed their quota or misbehave, have them
thrown out.
In the interest of fairness
the STOI called Mr Mani Shankar Aiyar for his version of the encounter.
His reply was: "I have nothing to say about that goonda It's about time
you people also stopped talking about it. Excuse me." He slammed
the phone.
