In his customary irreverential style, Amar Singh lets rip, to Aditi Phadnis
They’re saying: ‘Amar Singh is thinner, leaner, meaner… and he’s back!’
I don’t know what that means and I don’t care. I never went. I was always here. Some could see and feel it (my presence) some chose not to.
In public life, nobody goes. The more you try to kill him, the more he comes back to life. A man with clear vision, right thinking and honesty of thought is like an amoeba. You can’t kill him.
So what are your thoughts?
To bring about a change in politics and society, you need a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) that cuts through political parties: like the one Jayaprakash Narayan created, uniting people after the Navnirman agitation. Just as there are good and bad politicians, there are good and bad activists. This doesn’t mean everything activists do must be lionised and held up as unimpeachable; and not everything politicians do – or have to do – is kosher.
But having said that, how can you account for a Rs 25 crore bungalow in Civil Lines, Allahabad, for which a sale deed was signed for Rs 5000 in 1996, with the balance of Rs 95,000 paid in 2009? A stamp duty evasion case amounting to over Rs one crore was registered by the Mayawati government in February this year, much before the current debate on morality started. So you can ask Justice M M Punchhi, Justice Y K Sabharwal, Justice K G Balakrishnan and their kith and kin to make assets public, but when Mayawati government gives you plots, you keep quiet? Honesty, transparency and accountability only apply to judges and politicians? What about you ?
You haven’t named anyone but I assume you are talking of Shanti Bhushan and Prashant Bhushan. What have you got against them?
After my expulsion from the Samajwadi Party, they gave me gratis advice on the 10th Schedule order. This is why I am confused.
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When I was a victim of illegal phone tapping and approached the Supreme Court, from day one they were after my blood. The phone tapping was sponsored to frame me by a leading industrial house in Mumbai and by a leading telecom company. Justice Sabharwal gave an order in which he said the phone tapping was illegal and issued an order barring newspapers and individuals from disseminating it further. After Sabharwal’s retirement, they (the Bhushans) got into that case and kept on publicly reading out supposed conversations I’d had with various people.
Despite repeated protests by me, citing Justice Sabharwal’s order, they insisted the gag orders be vacated. They even read out excerpts from the illegally tapped conversation in complete violation of the Court’s orders. Was my reputation of no consequence?
It is poetic justice that they are denying the contents of a CD that is circulating. I’m not saying anything about the contents of the CD. But surely, what is good for Peter Amar Singh, should be good for Paul Bhushans?
Many have used you in the past for many things they’ve been too squeamish to do themselves. Just as you alleged Anna Hazare is being used by a set of individuals, do you think a set of people is using you too?
I’m not a kid. I can be used by friends and their emotions. But I have never allowed myself to be used by any political system. In any case, nobody can use anybody unless they want to be used, whether it is Anna Hazare or Amar Singh.
Despite facts that stare them in the face, if people choose to ignore them and agree to be used, well, that’s their funeral.
There are people whose lives have changed because you intervened when they were down and out, helped them up and claimed them as your friends. It is hard to spot any of those people around you now.
If you feed a hungry person, he will bless you. But if you transform somebody’s life and he sees you have no role in his further growth in his new life, he would prefer to limit his interraction with you, because you a constant reminder of what they once were; not what they aspire to become. I’ve seen it all. I have no grudges.
There are many who say it is ironical to see Amar Singh talk of corruption…
Am I not a member of civil society ? Am I a beast? Are political people amoral animals? Sharad Pawar resigns from a government committee because Anna Hazare thinks his probity is doubtful. But do others from the committee resign when their probity is questioned ? Neither civil society nor politicians have any right to be judgmental. Ultimately the decision lies with the public at large. No one should challenge the supremacy of public opinion.