 "I am the face of the Congress in HP and the party trusts me: Virbhadra Singh")
Virbhadra Singh, chief minister of Himachal Pradesh for six terms, tells Kavita Chowdhury that there should be space for both young and old in the party. Singh regrets the passing of the Manmohan Singh era and says he would have liked to Singh serve a third term. Edited excerpts:
Pollsters are predicting a Narendra Modi wave. The Congress appears to be doing too little, too late.
The Modi hype is a media creation with lots of money being pumped into the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) campaign. It's true the electronic media has a wide reach and the BJP hopes to benefit from its propaganda and well-orchestrated campaign. But in the recent (Assembly) elections we saw that even after extensive tours in several states, Modi had no major impact.
I am the face of the Congress in Himachal Pradesh and the party trusts me. Himachal Pradesh is a creation of the Congress party and Congress governments have consistently worked for the state. I myself have been chief minister six times. There is a natural bonding between the party and the people. Himachal Pradesh has reached great heights and is the front runner among small states in health and education, and leads in overall development. In 2009, the BJP government under Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal misused state power. But now in 2014, with a Congress government in the state, we hope to reverse that trend.
As one of the most senior members of the Congress and a politician who has fought many elections, what is your view of the new "primaries" system introduced by Rahul Gandhi, a first for any political party in the country.
Whatever be the method of selection, people can't be given tickets out of idealism. It should be based on reality: whether the person is an active party worker, does he have Congress affiliations? The US primaries system has a proper structure in place. Here it has been implemented in 17 constituencies by the party, but where is the time for these new ideas? The polls are upon us. If we had to do this, it should have been done two to three months ago. Moreover, there is no state or party unit that is not faction-ridden, so that is a hitch. But it's a welcome idea.
You are among a few Congress veterans who have been around from the time of Jawaharlal Nehru. The Congress is increasingly giving importance to youth, and senior partymen are complaining of being sidelined. Jagdambika Pal, who quit the party recently, said seniors were being neglected.
To some extent change is inevitable, the old has to give way to the new. And the population is getting younger. But there should be space for both young and old within the party. I came into the party at the age of 26 during the Nehru era. The young were being inducted into the party even then.
During the last Assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh, when the Congress was not keen on letting you lead the party, you opposed it.
I didn't oppose it because of that. A certain faction was trying to oust me out of state politics. I will resist it when people try to push me, when not just the party rank-and-file but the voters are with me. And that was proved in the Assembly elections, which we won.
There are only four Lok Sabha seats in Himachal, but candidate selection has been marred by infighting. The most contentious ticket, Hamirpur, is yet to be given, You and your Pradesh Congress Committee chief Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu are rooting for different candidates.
Winnability is the only factor I considered when suggesting names. Rajinder Rana is an Independent MLA, he is the best candidate to defeat the sitting BJP MP, Anurag Thakur. And in my humble opinion, why doesn't Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu contest the Lok Sabha polls himself, if he differs with this. He is a young man, why doesn't he contest?
The BJP in your state has decided to make corruption a major issue in these polls and it is gunning for you as you were embroiled in corruption-related cases.
The Dhumal government in its second stint was the most corrupt government ever in Himachal Pradesh. I have filed defamation suits against Dhumal, Anurag Thakur and Arun Jaitley. I can't allow them to make false allegations against me. The matter is being looked into by the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) and the income tax authorities. Let the verdict come. This is nothing but cheap politics.
Rahul Gandhi has declared zero tolerance for corruption. You are still dogged by allegations of corruption. Only last week a notice was issued to you by the Himachal Pradesh High Court in connection with the CD case; isn't that a liability for the party?
I have faced a sessions trial in the Dhumal regime and been acquitted. All false evidence against me crashed and now in this last instance you mentioned, the petitioner himself is a convicted person facing three years' imprisonment. In this case, he's moved court, so a notice has been issued to me. That's it.
Manmohan Singh has declared he will not be prime minister and the Congress has not announced any candidate. The BJP, on the other hand, has projected Modi. Do you see him becoming prime minister?
I think Manmohan Singh would have been good for another term. His achievements are not mean on any count. I think he has been an excellent Prime Minister. As for Modi, he is not new to us in Himachal Pradesh. The first time around, he was BJP general secretary in charge of Himachal Pradesh in 1999 and we won the Assembly polls. The second time he campaigned extensively in the state but had no impact. It is the electronic media that is trying to project a Modi wave. I sincerely hope he does not become prime minister, but in a democracy anything can happen.
Pollsters are predicting a Narendra Modi wave. The Congress appears to be doing too little, too late.
The Modi hype is a media creation with lots of money being pumped into the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) campaign. It's true the electronic media has a wide reach and the BJP hopes to benefit from its propaganda and well-orchestrated campaign. But in the recent (Assembly) elections we saw that even after extensive tours in several states, Modi had no major impact.
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If the BJP sweeps the polls nationwide, will Himachal Pradesh buck the trend?
I am the face of the Congress in Himachal Pradesh and the party trusts me. Himachal Pradesh is a creation of the Congress party and Congress governments have consistently worked for the state. I myself have been chief minister six times. There is a natural bonding between the party and the people. Himachal Pradesh has reached great heights and is the front runner among small states in health and education, and leads in overall development. In 2009, the BJP government under Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal misused state power. But now in 2014, with a Congress government in the state, we hope to reverse that trend.
As one of the most senior members of the Congress and a politician who has fought many elections, what is your view of the new "primaries" system introduced by Rahul Gandhi, a first for any political party in the country.
Whatever be the method of selection, people can't be given tickets out of idealism. It should be based on reality: whether the person is an active party worker, does he have Congress affiliations? The US primaries system has a proper structure in place. Here it has been implemented in 17 constituencies by the party, but where is the time for these new ideas? The polls are upon us. If we had to do this, it should have been done two to three months ago. Moreover, there is no state or party unit that is not faction-ridden, so that is a hitch. But it's a welcome idea.
You are among a few Congress veterans who have been around from the time of Jawaharlal Nehru. The Congress is increasingly giving importance to youth, and senior partymen are complaining of being sidelined. Jagdambika Pal, who quit the party recently, said seniors were being neglected.
To some extent change is inevitable, the old has to give way to the new. And the population is getting younger. But there should be space for both young and old within the party. I came into the party at the age of 26 during the Nehru era. The young were being inducted into the party even then.
During the last Assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh, when the Congress was not keen on letting you lead the party, you opposed it.
I didn't oppose it because of that. A certain faction was trying to oust me out of state politics. I will resist it when people try to push me, when not just the party rank-and-file but the voters are with me. And that was proved in the Assembly elections, which we won.
There are only four Lok Sabha seats in Himachal, but candidate selection has been marred by infighting. The most contentious ticket, Hamirpur, is yet to be given, You and your Pradesh Congress Committee chief Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu are rooting for different candidates.
Winnability is the only factor I considered when suggesting names. Rajinder Rana is an Independent MLA, he is the best candidate to defeat the sitting BJP MP, Anurag Thakur. And in my humble opinion, why doesn't Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu contest the Lok Sabha polls himself, if he differs with this. He is a young man, why doesn't he contest?
The BJP in your state has decided to make corruption a major issue in these polls and it is gunning for you as you were embroiled in corruption-related cases.
The Dhumal government in its second stint was the most corrupt government ever in Himachal Pradesh. I have filed defamation suits against Dhumal, Anurag Thakur and Arun Jaitley. I can't allow them to make false allegations against me. The matter is being looked into by the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) and the income tax authorities. Let the verdict come. This is nothing but cheap politics.
Rahul Gandhi has declared zero tolerance for corruption. You are still dogged by allegations of corruption. Only last week a notice was issued to you by the Himachal Pradesh High Court in connection with the CD case; isn't that a liability for the party?
I have faced a sessions trial in the Dhumal regime and been acquitted. All false evidence against me crashed and now in this last instance you mentioned, the petitioner himself is a convicted person facing three years' imprisonment. In this case, he's moved court, so a notice has been issued to me. That's it.
Manmohan Singh has declared he will not be prime minister and the Congress has not announced any candidate. The BJP, on the other hand, has projected Modi. Do you see him becoming prime minister?
I think Manmohan Singh would have been good for another term. His achievements are not mean on any count. I think he has been an excellent Prime Minister. As for Modi, he is not new to us in Himachal Pradesh. The first time around, he was BJP general secretary in charge of Himachal Pradesh in 1999 and we won the Assembly polls. The second time he campaigned extensively in the state but had no impact. It is the electronic media that is trying to project a Modi wave. I sincerely hope he does not become prime minister, but in a democracy anything can happen.