The Goan: TheUPA, in the fag end of its tenure, is passing through its weakest phase. Butdoes the BJP have the leadership and the strength to run the country post theelections?
Nitin Gadkari: Any government, to succeed, needsleadership, vision, the ability to make decisions and most importantly takeeveryone along. The Congress has failed on all fronts. It has promised toreduce prices in a hundred days. It failed. Agricultural output has gone downand the country is facing a drought, Foreign Direct Investments have dried upand the existing ones are pulling out. It’s a visionless government.
TG:But, yourhouse isn’t in order too. Are you in a position to step in?
NG: Look at the performance of our state governments.In Madhya Pradesh, the agricultural growth rate has increased from 2% to 18%.In Chattisgarh, too very good investments have come in and Gujarat is a modelof development. In your own state, Goa, Manohar Parrikar is giving goodcorruption free governance. (for Mr Gadkaris detailedcomments on Goa, see ‘Want Parrikar to play a larger role at center’)
TG:How areyou dealing with the Modi factor. You have said that yours is a multi-starrerparty. But, sections in the RSS are rooting for Modi. Doesn’t the party have totake a clear united stand and be clear about projecting its Prime Minister?
NG: Firstly, the Congress too has not declared who itsPrime Ministerial candidate would be. Have they said even once that RahulGandhi is their choice? We have over ten leaders who can draw crowds of over alakh in their rallies. The Congress has just Sonia and Rahul. Even the PrimeMinister doesn’t campaign…
(The Goan interrupts)..But the issue ofModi becoming Prime Minister and differences within the parivar and the party are getting vocal. Are you addressing that?
NG: Ours is a coalition. We have to talk to our NDApartners and then decide on the Prime Minister. That will happen before theelections. Ours is not a private limited company nor is it a proprietaryconcern. I was a common party worker who used to stick posters. I becamepresident of the BJP.
TG: But, I wouldlike to respectfully draw your attention to the fact the parivar publicationslike Kamal Sandesh, Panchjanya andOrganiserhave recently carried anti Modi articles. Kamal Sandesh had anarticle by the state president of MP, Prabhat Jha, titled “Modi a man in a hurry.” In Panchjanjya,Devendra Swaroop, respected in sanghcircles, called him an “intolerant leader” (after Modi pressurised the sangh to get Sanjay Joshi cancel histrain yatra, post his resignation from the party executive)
NG: They are not the views of the organisation. I caneven request you to write an article for Kamal Sandesh, and that does not meanthat your views will be the sangh views. And in any democratic organisation,there can be a difference of opinion but there are no personal differences.
TG: How muchdoes the sangh control the BJP now, since its tallest leader Mr Vajpayee isinactive and Mr Advani is a mentor but not so active in the scheme of things.You yourself are completely a product of the sangh.
NG: The sangh does not interfere in BJP’s day to dayactivities. But the sangh is a part of my life’s convictions. What we havelearnt is that politics does not mean power politics but is an instrument ofsocio economic transformation
TG:Does itworry you that when it comes to the secularism versus communalism debate, theBJP is perceived to be an anti-secular force?
NG:Yes,I feel sad (dukh hota hain). There isa difference between our image and reality. The ground reality is differentfrom perception. We have to work towards changing this perception.
P.S. To agroup of editors who called on him earlier, just before this interview wasconducted he said “Media Dilli main baithke desh ke door daraj chetro mein vastvikta kya hain, woh nahin jaanti” (The media in Delhi is unaware of the ground realities of remote places inIndia)
