PM's interview flummoxes Cong leaders

First Cong PM to give interview to Panchajanya

Although his observations were unexceptionable, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's first interview to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) mouthpiece, Panchajanya, created a flutter in Congress circles.

Singh became possibly the first-ever Congress Prime Minister to grant an interview to the RSS publication. This set off a series of rapid-fire questions to party spokesperson Jayanti Natarajan, who was hard pressed to defend the interview and said merely that a meeting with the editor of the magazine had been represented as an interview.

The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) did not deny what had appeared in the publication, nor did it issue any clarification. Natarajan said "nothing more" need be read into the fact that a meeting between a member of the RSS and the Prime Minister had been held and an interview published.

In the interview, Singh said he did not view the Opposition as his "enemy" but regretted that Parliament was not allowed to function despite "decent" leaders like Atal Bihari Vajpayee and LK Advani being on the other side of the benches.

Asserting that he was unperturbed by the "foul language" used against him, Singh said he was more concerned about tackling issues like inflation and corruption and speeding up economic and administrative reforms.

"My greatest regret is that Parliament was not allowed to function despite decent leaders like Atalji and Advaniji being in the Opposition. At least, I did not expect this from them," he said in one of his first interviews after assuming office.

Had Parliament been allowed to function and he given an opportunity to speak, the Prime Minister said "there could have been forward movement on several issues with coordination for the nation's betterment forgetting petty issues".

Observing that he did not view the Opposition as an "enemy", he said the Opposition also should not consider that attacking the ruling parties on every issue was its main task.

"I believe that the main task of politics is addressing the country's problems and not to level allegations against each others," Singh said. "My worry is that inflation and corruption should end, economic and administrative reforms should be speeded up," he said.

The Prime Minister said the government was making efforts that such a situation evolves and sought the Opposition's cooperation in this regard. "As far as foul language used against me is concerned, I do not give much attention to it," he said.

He said problems from Manipur to Kashmir had a "different form" on which there "needs to be thinking from the national outlook".

On the Savarkar issue, Singh said as far as the government was concerned, it had stated its position, pointing out that he had clarified the government's stand on the matter during his press conference.

"On other issues also we do not want confrontation," the Prime Minister underlined while noting that when he assumed charge, he "did not get a clean slate".

He said he had to take his party and allies along. "I have taken up the task (of prime ministership) with the intention of running the government and running it properly," he asserted.

Quipping that he was not a "veteran politician", Singh said "but I am learning steadily. Everything will come under control and I am confident that taking everyone along, we can increase stability and economic prosperity in the country."

The fact that the Prime Minister gave time to the RSS and actually had a meeting evoked indignation and disapproval in a large section in the party.

"Day and night, we call them names. Now the Prime Minister has voluntarily tried to play down our differences. This is hard to understand," said a party source in the 24, Akbar Road, headquarters of the party. Leaders were particularly critical of the Prime Minister's attempts to be conciliatory towards the RSS on the Savarkar issue.

However, supporters of the Prime Minister attempted to highlight Singh as a modern, Left-leaning liberal and pointed out that his secular credentials could not be questioned. Interestingly, the same issue of Panchajanya disapproved of former Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha for referring to the Prime Minister as "Shikhandi".

The editor of the magazine wrote an article in a national daily recently praising some aspects of the Manmohan Singh regime.